Gatekeeper of my Heart
by Pokeluv101
Summary: On the edge of death, Lyra made a deal with the Keepers of Heaven's Gate to live three more months so she could die without any regret. Silver was reluctant to agree and didn't want to be the one to watch over her but agreed. When the gate between their two worlds is threatened, they must work together. {SoulSilvershipping, Mangaquestshipping, Specialshipping, Oldrivalshipping AU}
1. The Keepers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

**My friend always asked if I'm afraid of burnout and I wonder the same thing XD I've been excited to write this for a while now. I originally had this be 'Angel of my Heart' but I didn't want to step on any religious toes without knowing so created my own mythology.**

**What I realized with The Muses: Don't try to put so many shippings! Since trying to keep them balanced was hard T^T So I'm only focusing on my main four shipping: Specialshipping, Mangaquestshipping, SoulSilvershipping, and OldRivalshipping. What I realized is that this is my first fic with SoulSilvershipping with the focus**

* * *

Gold floated down the line of cells until it reached the one that held his best friend. Not even Gold could bring a smile to his face to try to lift the man's spirit. It killed him to see his best friend behind the bars, tattered and in pain that no physical harm could bring them. Chains weighed down on Silver but Gold knew that it was his grief that kept him still.

"I wanted to see you before the trial." Gold spoke, his voice shaky as he did so. Silver didn't even look up but Gold refused to believe his friend was gone and this was the shell that was left. "I'm on your side and I don't care if I was the one chosen to execute you. I'm going to do everything I can to get you out if here! You don't deserve those chains and Ly-"

"I killed her!" Silver snapped. Gold bit his tongue, not knowing what to say to console his friend. Unfortunately the guard didn't think twice about his words when he spoke.

"She was meant to be dead. That is her fate and you as a Keeper should know that. You broke a law and she paid for it. What are we to do? You were meant to fall just like your sister!"

Gold's fist connected with the angel's jaw and he fell back against the wall. He didn't give the man a second thought before turning back to his best friend. "Don't listen to him Silver. He doesn't know what you two had."

"I promised her three more months," Silver whispered more to himself than anyone else. He had been doing so since he was brought to this prison. "She didn't make it to one..."

* * *

_One month earlier…_

"I can't wait until you're home!" Lyra spoke to her sister over the phone. She waited for the light to change before crossing the street, listening to her sister telling her about the artifacts she had collected on her trip. Her sister had been traveling for the last few months and she was glad to have her sister home again. Even though they tried to speak with each other every night, she missed her sister.

"My plane should arrive tomorrow." Crystal told her sister as the light changed and Lyra crossed the street. "How is your next book coming?"

"It's staying stubborn as always," Lyra laughed. "But at least this gives time to concentrate on my articles. I'm having trouble with some of the side characters' motivation but I'm sure that I'll figure it out! Maybe I should just scrap that idea and start something new."

"I might have something to help you ironically." Crystal told her sister palming the mysterious book that had bought. "It's called _The Gatekeepers of Heaven's Gate_. Let me read you a passage: _It's said that no one truly dies; they are merely breathed back into the earth. Every wondering soul will be gathered by the angels. After a war, the Elders found a need to train five Keepers to be forever loyal, gifting each with their own power._"

"I never heard that before," Lyra tapped her chin. "Where did you get the book?"

"From a stand during my trip to France," Crystal answered. "A man all but thrust it into my purse, saying that I would need this book. I love traveling but those vendors are truly something else. At least it didn't cost me much so I took it so he would stop pestering me."

"At least you're going to be home soon," Lyra said cheerfully and didn't notice someone coming behind her. "I can't wait 'til you come home and show me everything you bought on your journey! Is there anything more in the book?"

"It goes on to explain the five Keepers. There's the Warrior Keeper, the Time Keeper, the Fallen Keeper, the Guardian Keeper and the Dark Keeper." Crystal paused for a moment and Lyra could hear her sister speak to another person over the phone before she addressed her again. "Sorry Lyra, my flight's going to leave soon so I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you."

"I love you too," Lyra placed her phone into her purse before continuing back to the home she shared with her sister. It was late at night so she was eager to return home quickly. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited for another light to change even though the street was mostly deserted. A young man caught her attention when he ran towards her.

"Excuse me, may I ask you for your signature for my petition to stop animal abuse at the pound?" He asked her, and she immediately nodded to the younger man.

"I love animals. I didn't know that they were doing such things," In the back of her mind, she thought to investigate on the pound to confirm what the boy said was true to write an article on the subject. Lyra brows furrowed when the pen wouldn't work for her. "I'm sorry but it seems that this pen is out of ink."

"I'm sorry, I'll get you another on." He took back the pen back and reached into his jacket for another. She was taken back when he pulled a gun on her and said a lower voice. "Come with me or you will die right here. Turn right and begin walking to my car."

Lyra tilted her head to the right and saw that it was mostly deserted. Trying not to draw the suspicion of the man she looked behind her, and saw that on the other side of the alley was much more crowded, therefore safer for her. Clutching her bag in her hand, she swung it at the man, catching him off guard. She didn't wait to see if she stunned him before turning to run.

"Bitch, get back here!" She heard him scream and she remembered his gun so tried not to run in a straight line. She heart was caught between fear and hope because the sound of his chasing footsteps was as loud as the sound of the crowd some distance from her. She let out a cry of pain when she felt the butt of his gun hit her, making her fall against the wall.

He stood before her and she begged any form of deity to save her. She didn't want to die the night before her sister would return home. She desperately tried to think of a way to outwit the man but the shot already rang out and she instinctively raised her hand in defense.

"Time is," She felt her body tighten and looked up to see a man with glowing green eyes step out from the wall behind the man, his hand raised. What shocked her though was that the bullet and her attacker were frozen in place as well. He closed his hand and let out a horrified gasp when the bullet returned in its path, killing her attacker while the man merely whispered, "Time was."

She looked back from the man to her attacker, horrified at what she saw. He then turned his attention to her and she wondered if he would help her. His cold jade eyes pierced her and no matter how she wished, she couldn't control her body to run. He looked over to the wall behind him and nodded. "Deal with her Silver."

A man stepped out from wall as the other man did and she tried once again to run but couldn't. She turned to the jade eyed man as he knelt next to her attacker and punched a hole in his chest, pulling out his hand holding a green light though there was no blood. Would they do the same to her?

She looked back to the man that had just appeared that looked some years younger than the first. He looked impossible strong and imposing with his strong shoulder and height such that he would engulf her with his strength. His auburn hair was longer than most would have it, falling to his shoulder but what made her stop was his grey eyes cold steel.

"What are you?" she asked, trying to buy herself some time to think of a way to escape. She refused to die before she could say goodbye to her sister properly. He didn't answer her question, merely took off his black gloves and she felt herself growing weaker.

"You died when his bullet hit you and he died when he ran into the traffic to escape the police that woman called." He nodded to the end of the alley where a woman stood frozen. It was at that moment that Lyra realized that everything around had stopped.

"Time will be," The green eyed man waved his hand again and her attacker began to move as Green had described. No one seemed to notice them as he went on, "This is your fate: death. You have too much tying you to this world so we must force your soul through the gates."

"No! I can't die!" Lyra argued and the man sighed.

"Why do they always fight us?" The other man rubbed his temple. "To think that humans had centuries to accept their mortality yet they still fear it. Just take her soul Silver and be done with it."

Lyra bit her lips, knowing that they were both resigned to seeing her dead. A part of her wished that it was some dazed dream, cliché as that would be, but the pain and fear was all too real. She found herself begging when she thought of her sister. "One more day, please! I want to say goodbye properly to my sister. I know she's going to be devastated when she comes home tomorrow to find me dead. Just one more day and I promise not to fight you as long as you just give me a day with my sister!"

"Your sister?" The man hesitated and when he placed his glove on his hand again, she felt the pain disappear. She could see the conflicting emotion in his steel eyes and prayed to God that he would give her that one day.

"We cannot risk one soul to wonder this earth or it will tilt the balance of the two worlds." The other man spoke sternly. He knew with Silver past he would very well grant the woman her wish, which he could not allow. "We will not grant your wish! I shall take your soul myself."

When the man reached for Lyra, the steel eyes man took his wrist. She gasped at the dark power suddenly erupting from him as his eyes glowed silver, the image of dark wings flattering behind him. He turned his dark look to Lyra. "I will take you to the others and we will discuss what we will do to you."

* * *

Green ignored the shot that almost took off his ear and instead looked up the barrel of the gun to the ocean deep eyes of Blue. She pulled the trigger again but he didn't react to it. She chewed at her bottom lip in anger. "I told you never to come near me again!"

Green stood at the bottom of her steps but didn't say a word, knowing that whatever he said would only anger her further. He had not spoken to her since the day of the trails despite how much he wished to. He had betrayed her trust that day and knew she would never forgive him. He made a vow as a servant though and he wouldn't go against them no matter how much he loved her.

He looked up at the woman that haunted his heart for decades now. Her eyes were still the mysterious sea that drew him in the first time he met her at the trails and he wished that he could drown in them once again. Her hair was longer now, falling to her waist like a chocolate sea that beckoned him to run his hand through their soft strands though he knew that her eyes weren't as welcoming to him as they once were.

It took a moment for Blue to realize that her brother stood some distance from Green. What made her wonder was the other presence she sensed behind him. Her demeanour immediately changed at the sight of her brother and she hugged him. "Silver! I'm so glad you're home. How was your training?"

Lyra watched the woman chatter to the man and she watched his face turned stern to soft. The woman asked about her and Silver explained the situation to her, causing her brows to furrow. She looked down the street before urging them all into the small house. Lyra was still confused and hesitant about entering the home off strange character and clutched to the beam of the porch.

Blue sighed at her and reluctantly called out for a man named Gold to come. She looked up to see a man leaning against the door frame, staring down at her. His eyes glowed gold as he gestured into the house. "Come love, we won't hurt you."

She felt her body moving despite herself and she followed the man into the house. The inside of the house was rather homey and there was another man already sitting on a couch in the living room. The amber eyes man gestured for her to sit and hated that her body did so.

"It seems like we have a guest." Red observed and got to his feet. "I'll make us some tea."

"Release her," Silver commanded to the other in a low and she felt the pressure around her lesson until she was able to move her legs once again. Silver sat next to her and gave his sister a pleading look, still conflicted over his actions. "She asked for a day with her sister."

"I don't see why we must allow her that," Green rolled his eyes. "Gold, compel her to give us her soul."

"It would be easier for the angels if she dies happy," Blue knew that Silver still had some humanity in him unlike the rest since he was still in training. The mention of a sister was enough to move his heart and Blue couldn't blame her brother. "I say we give her a day."

"What a hassle, we all know that if we give her a day she would only ask for another the next and so on and on it will go. You cannot escape death and it will become more painful if we try to help her." Gold spoke from experience. He rubbed his temple and looked into the kitchen to call to Red. "It seems that you're the deciding vote."

"May I ask what this is?" Lyra finally asked as she turned from the pictures she had been studying on the table next to the couch. Her shaking hands traced the image of each of them in different time periods. Her instincts told her to run from the craze situation but she also knew that they would be able to catch her easily. Her only choice was to make a deal with the craze people.

Silver sighed and explained. "Our duty is to keep the world balance by protecting the flow of the life cycle. Everyone dies when they must and their soul returns to the earth. You were meant to die today but we have the power to give you an extra day to spend time with your sister."

"How?" Lyra breathed out her question. "What are you?"

Silver looked away as he answered, "I am the Dark Keeper."

Lyra froze at the name as the memory of Crystal's words came back to her. From Crystal's description they were merely the grim reaper. As much as she wished she wasn't in this situation, she had little choice but to make a deal with the devil, so to say. Everyone was silent as she turned back to the pictures with so many more questions.

"You already know about us? At least that leaves us with much less explaining to do. Now Red it is time for your vote." Blue called to the man and he told them to wait while he thought over the issue. Lyra looked back to the photos and noticed that in a group photo there was a small blonde woman. Lyra asked about the woman, she heard a crash in the kitchen followed by the thickening silence around her.

"Just give her the day and be done with it!" The door slammed and everyone made a collective sigh knowing that Red had most likely left. Blue rubbed her temple and closed the curtains to keep out the angel's searching eyes. She looked back to Lyra and sat in front of her brother.

"Are you sure you want to give her a day?" She asked the woman and Silver hesitate. He knew that there was great risk in allowing her to live.

"I just want to say goodbye to my sister!" Lyra spoke up. "Please, I don't want her to come home to such horrid news such that only moments after she turned off her phone that her sister had died. Do you know how grief stricken she would feel if that was the case? After we had a proper goodbye, I'll go with you willingly."

"You can't tell her about us!" Green said quickly. They were already in so much trouble with keeping her alive this long and didn't want to dig their own grave deeper than it already is. "Why are we even bothering with this?"

"Because some of us still have a heart," Blue threw him a glare before turning back to Lyra. She took off her white gloves and held a hand over Lyra. The house seemed to shake around them and Lyra began to panic but none of the others seemed to react. Blue's eyes began to glow and Lyra could see crystal wings form behind her.

Blue began to shake visible and rushed to pull her glove back on even as Green instinctively moved to her side. She pushed his hands away when he would've steadied her and stood straighter. "Three months, we will give you three months. Silver shall watch over you during that time to make sure that none of the other angels will take your souls."

"Oh thank you!" Lyra was still confused over the situation but wouldn't give up three more months with her sister.

"I know that this might be a hindrance to you but Silver will have to watch over you from now on. It was his decision to help you so it's his responsibility to keep you safe now." Blue went on and urged them to leave so she could speak with Green on some matters. She waited for the two to leave before turning to the man as much as she hated him.

"Why three months?" Gold tilted his head at her knowing that Blue had used her power of foresight.

"Because that is when her sister will die," Blue spoke in a soft voice. "They will be together in the end."

* * *

"Thank you," Lyra said once again but Silver didn't answer her. They were walking home and she wished that it wouldn't so awkward being with the man that saved her. She laced her fingers together as she tilted her head up at the man. "It's not that I'm ungrateful but I have to ask you why you saved me."

"I wouldn't call it saving since you will die in the end." Silver shrugged. "I didn't get to say goodbye to my sister either. This is the first time I've been able to speak to her in decades. There's a strict rule that none of us are allowed to make an emotional connection to anyone, human or otherwise. They tried to keep us separate to weaken our bound."

"You must've been awfully lonely." She noted and he laughed bitterly.

"Don't try to humanize any of us. We're worse than demons and even more destructive. Our loyalty is to the Elders and we know our place," Silver stated. "I don't see why my sister chose me to watch over you since Gold or Red would be a much better choice."

When she gave him a questioning gaze, he answered. "I'm still in training and can't control my powers fully. That is the reason why I wear these gloves to suppress my powers. It's even more dangerous that I only hold half of my powers."

"What is your power?" Lyra asked as she opened the door to her home that her sister had transformed into an antic shop. He followed her inside and she turned on the light before gesturing him towards the stairs. He did so and found himself in a small kitchen. Lyra set a kettle on the stove, feeling awkward in the situation but wanted to play the host for him.

"Life manipulation but I only hold its destructive half." He explained. "No one knows where the other half of my powers was sealed when the previous Keeper died, not even the Elders. No matter how much I train, it's impossible for me to control my powers."

"The previous Keeper? Was that the woman I saw in the photo?"

"You ask a lot of questions," He noted and she flushed, saying that it was a habit of hers since she was a reporter. "But yes she was the Dark Keeper before me. The Elders worried about her since she didn't agree with killing and they also knew about their love."

"The man you called Red." Lyra remembered the man's reaction when she asked about the woman.

Silver smiled bitterly. "The Elders are a cruel group of people when demanding our loyalty. Since they knew that only another Keeper can kill a Keeper, they chose Red to lead the trials. He was the one that killed her."

"That's horrid!" Lyra gapped at him as she set a cup of tea in front of him but he shrugged as if what he described was nothing more than an every day's occurrence. She felt her heart go out to the man, wondering what happened to him or any of the other Keepers though the entire situation still seem crazed to her at best. How will she even explain to her sister his presence?

He studied her as she drank her tea and wondered why her plea had reached his heart while others didn't. There didn't seem to be anything that set her apart but her constant chattering. She was rather small, only reaching his shoulder and her soft brown hair matched that of her eyes. What was it about her?

"Well I can't wait to see my sister again tomorrow. If you want I can set up the guestroom for you." She changed the subject but he still didn't give a reaction to her words. She looked back to the table but found he was staring out the window and wondered about her.

"I'll make due on the couch," He told her. "Don't bother with me. You already know that I cannot make an emotional connection and you will be gone in three months."

* * *

"I'm so glad you're home," Lyra said for the tenth time since they had returned home from the airport. She wondered at the tears in her sister's eyes and how she clung to her. She noticed that her sister would look behind them several times but she couldn't see anyone behind them. She had seemed so happy over the phone yesterday and her sister would usually tell her everything on her mind.

"Is there something wrong Lyra?" Crystal walked into the shop. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Well…" Lyra played with her fingers again. "There's someone staying with us at the moment but I assure you that he's not dangerous. But I really want to ask you what you would want to do over the next three months that would make you happiest! I've missed you so much while you were gone."

"You're talking as if we're never going to see each other again soon," Crystal laughed but stopped when her sister forced a smile on her downcast face. Crystal nudged her, "Don't worry-"

Crystal stopped when they reached the antic shop and there was a man standing on the porch, looking down at him. He was built like a boxer and strength emitted from him. His hair was mussed from the wind and she thought that she saw his tawny eyes glow for a moment. He had a lopsided grin on his face as he said. "Be careful, I wouldn't trust those wooden steps."

"I've lived here for years, they're sturdy I assure you. You've made your way up these steps, did you not?" Crystal turned her nose up at him but when she took on a step, her feet fell through. Lyra was quick to help her sister though she wondered why the Keeper was present. She looked back to the wood that was now aged past maturity.

"I saw the state of your porch and thought I could do some work for you. My name's Gold," he jumped down from his place on the porch and held out a card to her. "I fix things for a living but find myself between jobs. I'll do the job for free if you give me a place to stay."

Crystal didn't know how much of his words to trust so asked. "Do you have any references or credentials? I can hardly let a man I've only met live in my home."

"What colours are my eyes?" Once again, she thought she saw his eyes glow gold as he tilted her face towards his. He was much too close that her heart stopped for a moment before she stepped back which shocked him. He didn't know why his powers were failing him so he turned to Lyra. "Tell her I'm a good guy, Lyra. Your sister and I are rather close so you have no reason to distrust me."

Crystal looked from Lyra, who hesitated nodded, to the now decaying porch. She trusted her sisters but didn't know if she could trust this new man. She had some money but not enough to repair the porch so reluctantly agreed. "I have a spare room but I expect you to work."

"Whatever you wish but let me help you with that," He held out his hand to her when she hesitantly tried to climb the stairs once again. She was shocked when he easily lifted her to the third step and then did the same for her sister. She urged her sister inside, intent on asking her where she knew the man.

Gold watched the pair leave before turning back to Silver who let the barrier around him drop. "Why are you here?"

"Green was called for an audience with the Elders." Gold was more serious than Silver had ever seen him. "On his way there, he was attacked by a man with powers similar to yours but we all know that you will never betray us. So Green said that we should stay close to each other."

* * *

Red opened his hand and watched the fire dance in his palm as he walked down the hospital. No one noticed him since he kept a barrier around him. He hated the smell of the hospital but there was nothing he could do since he was a Keeper. The souls of the departed drifted towards his flame.

He looked out the window and saw a balloon drift towards the sky followed by a little boy's cry. He manipulated the wind to ease the balloon back to the boy before continuing on his way. He closed his eyes and could still hear her laughter, gentle as bells. She had always been on the back of his mind no matter how much he tried to move past her death as the Elders had instructed.

He stopped when he realized that the laughter was much more than his imagination and looked up to see a cloaked woman with golden hair run past him, phasing through people as if she were a ghost. He was quick to race after her, hoping against logic that it was her. It couldn't be! He had held her in his arms as she bleed out that day.

"Yellow please!" He turned the corner but she was gone and he slammed his hand on the wall, hating his heart for playing such a cruel trick on him. He didn't realize that a butterfly landed on his shoulder.

* * *

**First chapter and half is exposition XD**

**For those who are wondering who everyone is:**

**Red- The Warrior Keeper (elemental)  
Green- The Time Keeper (time manipulation)  
Blue- The Fallen Keeper (Precognition)  
Gold- The Guardian Keeper (mind control)  
Silver- The Dark Keeper (life manipulation)**


	2. Keeping Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

"It seemed that a lot of things had happened while I was away," Crystal noted as she sat next to her sister, looking across to the two men that her sister had invited to live them. Lyra had said that she met them while volunteering at the pound so asked, "Do you like animals Gold?"

"Who doesn't?" Gold answered her question with another question that made her wonder. The two men had been avoiding her questions ever since they sat the table and a feeling in her gut dislike the situation. She studied the man sitting across her but he still held true to that smile that never reached his tawny eyes. Lyra trusted the man so she had little choice but to do so as well.

"I lived in the mountains," Was the first straight answer he gave when she asked where he previous lived, granted that it was still rather vague. A tiny smile played on his lips as he went on explaining the cabin his mother owned and would allow animals to stay as if it were a daycare. It had been so long since he had thought about the days since he had been human that it was nostalgic to him to remember those days.

"My mother would kill me for saying this but you are a better cook than her," Gold held up his bowl in salute to Crystal. "Your sister's praises doesn't hold a candle to reality and I'll look forward to eating with you in the future, my love."

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Crystal chocked on her spoon at the endearment but from the lack of reaction from Silver she could only guess that this was normal for the man. He did seem to have any sense of personal space and she wondered why he acted as if he expected everyone to follow him. She would admit that he was handsome but not enough for her to follow whatever he said.

"You really have no qualm against hurting my feelings?" Gold placed his hand over his heart mockingly.

"I'm sure your ego will console your heart rather nicely." Crystal shot back under her breath and Gold threw back his head, laughing. There was something hypnotising about his laugh but she shook herself, reminding herself that she had a job to do since she wasn't on vacation anymore. Lyra laughed softly beside her as well and Crystal wondered what the pair found amusing in the situation.

"I know that look. You're thinking about work!" Lyra pointed a finger at Crystal accusingly. "You still have a week of vacation left and I want to do everything fun now that you're home. You said that you always wanted to go to that museum and I think that we should. And didn't you say that you want to-"

"I'm worrying about you Lyra." Crystal stopped her sister softly. "Why are you suggesting all these things suddenly? I only just got back and I will rather just spend a quiet night with you all. That's what I want so you don't need to go to all these trouble for me."

Lyra looked down at her hands, not knowing what to say to her sister to make her understand why she wanted to spend more time with her without telling her the truth. She slid a gaze to Silver hoping that he would help her but his gaze was fixed to the window, his bowl barely touched and cold before him. She was hoping that she would be able to be happier with her sister finally home but she never felt lonelier knowing the truth.

She felt something touch her cheek and realized that Silver was pushing a napkin towards her.

At first she felt her heart lighten at his kind gesture but he whispered to her, "Dry your tears before your sister notices. We can show her anything but the truth and your tears will raise questions. Spend these three months happy, wasn't that your wish?"

Lyra looked to her sister who wasn't noticing her but instead, arguing with Gold who was teasing her more than he would any other. She put on a brave face for her sister's sake and asked, "Maybe we can go to the museum next week then, when you've had time to settle down."

"Alright," Crystal gave into her sister seeing how determine she was. From the corner of eyes, she saw a butterfly drift by until it landed on the suitcase she had yet to put away. Her suitcase fell to the ground and its contents spilled over to the ground. Crystal was quick to rush to her things and Lyra was by her side, helping her place her clothes back into the suitcase.

Gold went to help them but stopped at a book, opened to an image of a woman. Her face mostly concealed with her bangs but there was something familiar about her. She held a butterfly against her chest, smiling despite the shadows looming over her in the background. He made sure that Crystal wasn't looking before allowed his Keeper self to come through and saw the dark images move over the page.

How did she come to have this book? He looked back to Silver and knew that he could read the worry on his face so tucked the book into his back pocket before continuing to help put away the rest of the things. He made a mental note to bring this up with the other Keepers when they meet next

* * *

"I'm going out!" Lyra called to her sister as she left the house, intent on buying some more food to get the makings of a picnic. When she closed the door behind her, she looked back to see Silver waiting on the foot of the porch for her. He held out a hand to her and helped her down past the broken steps with little but a frown to reveal any of his emotion.

"You smell of death," He told her softly and she thought she felt a powerful wind wash over her. She looked back to see his dark wings towering behind her and he explained. "Your body is a simple corpse at the moment but only an angel will be able to tell the difference. My scent should be able to mask yours well enough so don't move to far from me."

Lyra didn't say that her body had felt heavier since she had left the Keeper's home. They walked down the street towards the grocery store around the corner and she spoke to him about all of the things she planned to do over the next three months. He watched her skip down the street some distant from him, a smile infectious as she waved to familiar strangers.

"I'm thinking of inviting all of my friends to a picnic," She told him as they enter the store. She threw a disposable camera in her cart first before going on. "Is there anything you want in particular for the picnic? I'm a good cook myself and I want to do something to thank you for everything you're doing for me."

"Why are you so kind?" He asked her as he followed her down the aisle. He was curious at the array of food and crowd of people in such a tight space since he had been mostly isolated with his training. Lyra didn't seem to be out of place as she waved to several people, throwing items into her cart. "Aren't you afraid of what I can do to you? I can easily break my promise and take your soul at this moment."

She tilted her head towards him, "If that was your plan you would've done so already, wouldn't you? I think that you are rather kind for helping me and I trust you. As to being kind, I like to think its second nature for people to do so. I cannot say I know your life but you must've known kindness."

"I've seen too much to be as optimistic as you," Silver noted and looked over her shoulder to see an elderly man show the subtle sign of a heart attack. He took Lyra around her waist and urged her to the register despite the worried look she gave him. He looked back to the man and swore when he met the eyes of an angel. Luckily Lyra was hidden behind his wing so the man wouldn't notice her.

"Why are you not training with Green?" The angel he knew was Adam asked him and Silver only shrugged, continuing on his way. His brows drew tighter together and muttered, "Do all Keepers think themselves above all others that they do not need to answer to us? We collect thousands of more souls than you all yet you are the one given powers."

"Do not speak as if you know our duties." Silver threw a glare over his shoulder, coating himself in a barrier so no human will hear his words. "Return to your post Adam. My training is almost complete so Green thought to give me some time for myself. If you have a problem, you can speak with the Elders."

He waited for Lyra to pay for her items before following her out. He could sense her curiosity but didn't give her any answer to the encounter with the angel. She tried to break the tension by describing the food she was planning to make for the picnic and he let his mind drift.

"You speak of food a lot," Silver noted. "Are you as glutton as Gold?"

"I'm sorry but I can't think of anything else to speak with you about without it being awkward," She puffed her cheek. "I know you are a kind person, even if you're not the talkative type. We are going to spend three months together so can we not be friends? I don't want any regrets over the three months."

A large wind blew over them and she laughed when leaves littered his head, quickly aging. She thought the universe was trying to urge him to be her friend so went to pluck the now dead leaves from his hair. He was quick to grab her hand when she reached for him and his eyes were cold once again.

"Don't touch me!" The words rushed out as he brushed the decaying leaves from his head. "My power is activated by contact. If you touch me, you will be as dead as these leaves. I already told you that I cannot control my powers or make any emotional connections."

"I'm sorry," She let her hands drop to her side as Silver walked in front of her. His back was tense and she couldn't help but think him a lonely man.

* * *

"You favour the number five," Blue told the woman before her and ran her hand over the woman's palm. For extra money, she would give people readings as she was doing now. Keepers had little use for money but she liked to think herself prepared for what was to come. "For everything after five breaks. If you do not take care of your body, your delivery shall be very painful. This is your sixth child I believe."

Blue spoke with the woman for a couple minute before she left and Blue let out a sigh. She knew that child was dead before it even seen light but she could hardly tell the mother to be that. She could see into the past and future but couldn't very well change either though fate was a strange thing to her. Death was the only constant thing in her vision but a person's journey to their death would differ with every decision they made.

Nobody could change how they will die, they could only change the course to that moment.

Before she placed her gloves back on, she found herself running a finger over the emerald hanging off her bracelet. She could see Green speaking with the Elders at the moment, showing no emotion even as they screamed at him. She let her hand drop from the charm and the vision faded around her. But she didn't need a vision to be able to see the man clearly.

Shaking any thought of the man from her mind, she looked back to the charms on her bracelet. Her powers were activated by touching the person or something of import to them. That is why she kept the charms given to her by her fellow Keepers, to be able to watch over them, though she kept the amber charm in memory of deceased friend.

Someone knocked on her small stand to gain her attention and she looked up to see Green staring down at her concerned though his concern came out as a scream, "I thought we all agreed to watch over each other and yet I find you here alone! God damn it woman, don't worry me like that ever again. I know you hate me but can you not take Red with you when you leave the house?"

"I don't see why you care," Blue rolled her eyes and stood so quickly that she knocked several things from her stand. Green muttered something beneath his breath as he waved his hand over the stand and it returned to its place. He looked back to Blue who was already gathering her things and he knew that it was to quickly escape him. He couldn't help but remember when she would run to him with a smile.

"I have nothing else that you need!" Green winced at her words knowing what she was referring to. "You knew I hated being a Keeper yet you dragged my brother into this mess and I can never forgive you for that. You care for nothing but following those Elders and be damned that Yellow's life was at stake!"

"She was my friend too!" Green found himself screaming. No one could touch his emotion deeply than this woman and wished that there wasn't so much of a rift between them. He knew he was the one who created the rift but at the time he had little choice but to follow orders. "None of us has a choice but to do as they say or face the consequences. Do you know how hard the decision was for me?"

"I don't have to do anything you say as you do with the Elders." Blue turned on her heel and raced away from the feelings of regret. Why did she still love him knowing that he never loved her, and used her to get closer to her brother as the Elders had instructed. She should've known his intent the first moment he approached her at the trails. "You are lucky that Red doesn't know the truth!"

"You cannot tell him the truth," Green ran after her. "The Elders forbids it!"

He felt the need to protect her as he looked down at her determined face. He would protect her even if she wished him to the devil. The Elders had told him that someone was stealing souls from and that they would most likely try to attack the Keepers to gain their power. He knew Blue's power wasn't useful in battle so he wanted to stay by her side, protecting her even if it killed him.

"You need to be careful." He continued, "I was ambushed by the man and he is stronger than I thought he would be. When he touched me, it felt as if he was trying to steal my powers and I don't know if he would've succeeded if the guards hadn't come to help me."

Blue stopped walking for a moment and couldn't deny the worry she felt for him at his words. She looked down at her hands, tightening into fists. Her heart cried out to be close to the man once again even as she knew she shouldn't allow herself near him. But, she reasoned with herself, she already knew the truth so there was no risk of her falling in love again so she nodded.

"But who will watch over Red? There are only five of us." Blue pointed out.

"Red is strongest all of us. He can very well take care of himself." Green pointed out the obvious. Even as Green said that, she touched the red garnet at her waist and stopped for a moment. Green saw her pale face before she ran off, towards their home.

* * *

"Frenzy Plant," Red followed the man leisurely through the cabin, a contrast to the man's frantic movement as he tried to escape him. Red made thick vines to block the man from escaping through the window. He felt no pity for the man, looking at the blood already littering the ground. Evil was always hesitant to leave the earth and this man had plagued enough evil to turn Red's stomach.

"Repent!" Red ordered the man, his eyes glowing crimson as fire erupted around them and the man cowered. The man now crumpled to the ground, saying that the people of the blood he spilled deserve such for rejecting him and Red's anger flared. At the mention of blood, he could only see Yellow and feel remorse over such an unnecessary death.

"Then rot in Hell." Red made water explode beneath the man, freezing once the water consumed his body. Red closed his hand and the ice shattered, leaving nothing but the black soul floating towards the flame Red now held. Feelings rebellious, he didn't send the soul back but snuffed it out where he stood. He wouldn't let such evil be breathed back into the earth.

He bowed his head and manipulated the vines to recede until the cabin returned to its dark silence. He looked into the mirror and met the eyes of the man standing behind him. The edging on the man's cloak was similar to the one Green described of the man that attacked him. He felt a darkness surround the man and turned to the man, shoving his hand into his pocket. "You were the one that attack my friend?"

"You Keepers think that you can do whatever you wish because you have been granted such power," He whispered. "But I have the power to fight you now! I will right all of the wrongs you had caused me and take the power you hold. Unlike your friend, you have no one to save you so this will be your last stand."

"You are a fool," Red laughed bitterly, wind gathering around his hand. "And your actions shall be trialed when I take you to the Elders but I will give you this chance to surrender."

"You are not the only ones with power," He threw up his hand and Red was quick to dodge the dark shadows he summoned. Red was only taken back for a moment before he countered the attack with razor leaves. Where did this man gain such power? Only the Elders could grant such power and only to a Keepers yet he kept attacking him with shadows.

The man was much quicker than Red thought he would be and felt his hand graze his neck as he jumped back to dodge the attack. That brush of skin sent pain through his heart and Red skid to a stop several feet from the man.

He sent blades of wind towards the shadows, dispersing them but the shadows were materializing quicker than he could destroy them. He lost sight of the man among the shadows and quickly broke through a window to escape the cramp hall so he could fight with more ease. He spread his wings so he could fly into the sky, looking down at the enemy.

"Time was." The man whispered and Red felt his wings return into his body without consent and Red plummeted back to the ground. His mind was racing, how did the man obtain Green's power? Red was quick to control the trees to catch him, rolling away from the shadows that advanced on him. He summoned fire to protect him, burning the shadows.

It happened in a flash but he thought he could see a soul flicker in the shadows as they burned. Thinking that it might be one the souls stolen, he closed his hand to snuff out the fire to save the soul but it quickly turned to shadows once again, rushing forward to attack him.

His heart stopped when he saw the man jump through the weakening fire he created, pulling a sword from the darkness of his cloak to slash at him. Red punched the ground, a wall of earth erupting in front of him as he tried to put more distance between them. He was a strong fighter but he couldn't face such a number of enemies or risk hurting the innocent souls. He could only try to summon a powerful enough wind to push them all back.

He felt something soft flutter against his cheek and turned to see a butterfly land on his shoulder and time stood still for him. A powerful tornado blew from his hand, with more strength than he knew he had, and at the same time, he felt his wings return. Not question the sudden burst of power he was given, he flew into the sky, looking back to the enemy he saw them fighting against the tornado.

Now finally away from the danger, he could see his home in the distant. The butterfly left his shoulder and he jolted at the sudden loss of power. So tired he felt after its departure, he felt his eyes drift closed and fell from the sky not able to keep flight.

He crashed through the trees, not even strong enough to call for the earth to catch him as he landed. He could hear Blue and Green's cry as they raced towards him but what consumed his attention was the soft touch on his cheek and the light whisper, "Love lingers."

* * *

Crystal woke to the sound of a flute which made her wonder. When she went to check the time, she found the book of the Keepers she thought she misplaced on her bedside table. Thinking that her sister had placed it there, she looked past it and concentrated on the sound of the flute instead. Following its song, she found herself outside and staring up at the roof where Gold sat playing the flute.

She couldn't find a ladder so wondered how he was able to climb to the roof. Curious about what he was doing on the roof, she took a ladder and climbed to the top as quietly as she could. His back was turned to her when she reached the top and she saw what she thought were fireflies of different colours fly into a box at his side.

"Have you come to invite me to a nightcap?" Gold didn't turn to look at her as he continued playing until he felt he had gather all of the souls still lingering in the night. He placed his flute aside and closed the box, finally turning to her with a lopsided smile. "Couldn't resist me for long, could you?"

"Your flute woke me," she told him as she eased herself next to him. "Why are you up so late? You can hardly work if you're so tired from staying up to this hour. How did you even get up here?"

"I flew," He told her honestly and she rolled her eyes at him in what he would say was the most adorable way. "But you might have to get used to my playing since I tend to do so every night and I have no choice in doing so. It's kinda my job to play at night but I can play any song you like. In fact, you can choose the song I'll play when you go to sleep."

"As long as you fix that porch, you can play me any song you want." Crystal sighed and stood to return to bed but he took her hand suddenly. He tilted the most honest eyes at her and the gold in his eyes sparked in the moonlight, the wind playing with his dishevelled hair. She had seen many handsome men on her travels so why was this man affecting her suddenly?

"Sit and watch the stars with me," His inviting smile drew her in and she eased herself next to him again. The cold only reached her for a moment before she felt something warm wrap around her shoulders but nothing but the night air was around them. The warmth soothed her though and she hugged her legs closer to her body. "Your sister loves you so just indulge her for the next three months, okay?"

"I know she loves me but we can't just go spend money so much," Crystal told him as he reached over to brush a bronzed feather from her shoulder. His hand lingered for a moment before tickling her with the feather to tease her and she found herself laughing despite herself.

"I'm sorry." He said honestly and stood. He kept his gaze on the moon, as heated words echoed through his mind. "Just for future insurance when this is over. You're bound to hate me when this is over… they all do so I'll say it now. Too bad it seems like I can't make you like me like others."

His face was to the moon and she could only wonder what he meant by those words. His voice was teasing when he told her to be careful though he wouldn't turn to her as she moved towards the ladder. He touched his back pocket when she reached the ladder and realized that he no longer had the book. His instinct told him that she had the book, though he didn't know when he lost it.

He rushed to the ladder and looked down at her. He called down to her, "If you know what's good for you, you'll burn that book!"

She looked up at him with blue eyes, reflecting the moonlight and he could tell that she was confused at his words. He swore when he realize that his powers wasn't effecting and she instead she continued down. This was the second time his power wasn't affecting her yet he knew that his power was still strong. Just moments ago he had manipulated all of the souls to follow his call.

What was it with the woman that nullified his power?

* * *

**Here's to my Mangaquest love biasing me so much that they overshadow the main shipping XD Reading this over I see that I have them talking like I did in The Muses when it's supposed to take place in modern time**


	3. Painting Memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

"What do you think the other Keepers wanted to discuss to us about?" Gold asked Silver as they walked back to the Keepers' home with Lyra between them. Silver shrugged and Lyra had more questions about them than she could answer. Silver tried to keep a close eye on his surroundings but found his gaze continuingly stopping on Lyra, sensing her confusion.

"I can see them," Lyra whispered as her eyes moved to the angels flying above until her sight was blocked by Silver's wings. "I couldn't see them before…"

"You crossed into our world the moment you entered the house. Since we allowed you pass through our barrier, it is easier for you to see past others'." Silver explained looking back at the white feather drifting down every so often. "You do not need to worry about them finding you."

"Is someone worried about Lyra's feelings?" Gold teased his friend and flew away from the glare his friend gave him. They had been friends before the trails though it was strained from the years apart during their training. "Who would think the ever so stoic Silver would actually care for such a tiny human?"

"Please," Silver turned his nose up at his friend and urged Lyra to continue faster to the house so he could escape his friend's teasing though he knew that his sister could be much worse than Gold. But thinking of her trying to match him with a woman with some strange scheme made him oddly nostalgic. They reached the home to what any other would seem to be an abandoned home. He noticed the faded seal around the home was now fresh which made him worry.

"You're here!" Blue threw open the door and urged them inside which only made Silver worry more. He did as she instructed and noted that Green scanned the area behind them before he closed the door. His heart stopped when he saw that Red was lying on the couch unconscious. "He still hasn't woken up yet and I was waiting you all to come before I looked into his past."

Green nodded before turning to Lyra's. "Maybe the human should wait in the other room while we do this. This is no business for a human to concern themselves with."

"I don't see why her presence will cause any problems," Blue rolled her eyes. She pulled off her glove and placed a hand over Red's forehead. Like before, Lyra felt the room shake and Lyra was quick to grab onto Silver's arm for balance. She passed on the image of Red's memory to the others but as Blue's eyes dimmed, Red moaned as he struggled to open his eyes through the pain.

"Good God my body hurts," Red rubbed his temple as he came to conscious and found the other Keepers surrounding him. They all let out a collective sigh of relief as Blue held out a cup of water to him while Green helped him sit up. He gladly took the water and whispered through his raw throat. "Yellow…"

"Red what year is it?" Blue asked and when he answered the correct date Blue looked from Green to Red again before she placed a concerned hand on his shoulder. "You already know that she's gone, I'm sorry Red. You took a pretty hard fall from the sky so do you feel nauseous at all?"

"I don't have a concussion," Red said bitterly. Every time he opened his eyes, he expected to see Yellow standing over him but he was so sure that he had heard her laughter, felt her strength. Like those other times, he found himself disappointed. Shaking himself of the pain, he tried to remember beyond her to anything of significant about his attacker. "I went to collect the soul of the murderer that overdosed when I sensed another angel-"

"I already looked into your past and told them what happened." Blue cut him off.

"His strength took me by surprise. I didn't expect him to have any power beyond that of a normal angel but I think he's using the souls he create those shadows," Red told them but there was something else nudged at him. "When I was going to fly away, he reversed my power with magic similar to Green's. It wasn't as strong as yours for he could only reverse time by several minutes."

"I thought it felt as if he were stealing my power when he touched me." Green placed a hand on his neck and grumbled. He knocked over a vase and watched it shatter before returning it to its previous state then further by several decades until it was nothing more than clay. "At least I still have my powers and it doesn't seem to be any weaker."

"He touched me too," Red hated to think of how much power the man would've gained from him.

"But why attack you?" Gold asked. "You and Green are our most powerful fighters so it's suicidal to challenge them first. Why not challenge Silver first who can't fully control his power since he would be easier to over power. Either this man is that cocky or there's something about you two that he hates."

"Only another Keeper can kill a Keeper so he is a fool to challenge us without taking that into consideration. If he really wanted to kill Red and me in whatever order, then he wouldn't have moved from me to Red when he failed. So maybe our death is not what he wants."

"He hates all of us." Red remembered the man's words. "He seems to have some vendetta with us."

"And how is that different from any other person?" Silver snorted. From what they said, she could only determine that there was an angel stealing souls from the flow of life to artificially create their own power to take revenge on the Keepers for some reason. Her gaze was drawn to the line of pictures on the wall by the butterfly drifting over them before fading away.

"Green then Red then…" Everyone followed Lyra's finger as she pointed to the photos. "Is it in the order the photos are arranged? I know two doesn't make a pattern but it might be the case here."

Blue rushed over the photo and ran her bare hand over the photos but couldn't see any meaning in them when looking into their past. She looked at the photos once again and said, "I think it's something else. Green was first to pass the trials, then Red was second so he might be targeting us based on when we passed the trails and became Keepers. If that's true then the next one he'll attack should be me."

"But only the Elders and us know about the details of the trails," Gold pointed out. "He can't possibly know that unless he participated in the trails as well and that's impossible since everyone else died in the trials. We're at another dead end."

"I'll try to search up some leads," Blue offered and went to take a coat from the hanger. "The more important thing we must focus on is to stop him from stealing more souls or the flow of life will falter. I'll go to the river to see if there are any breaks in it."

Green's hands tightened into fists at her words and felt his ire rise when she told them that they could leave, all but pushing them out the door. She spoke as if she wasn't afraid but he knew that she was merely trying to hide her worry. If it were a year ago, he could've comforted her when they were alone. Even though he knew that she would push him away, he would protect her.

* * *

"Will you be coming with us?" Crystal asked Gold as she walked out to the porch and saw him working. She was going to the museum with Lyra and Silver for the afternoon but Gold said that he was going to work on the porch for the day while they were gone. She blushed when his eyes glowed as he asked her for a kiss goodbye. "You are impossible!"

"Not the worst thing to be," He shrugged and she wondered if there was any words that could hurt him. He was slightly surprised when he felt something tap his shoulder as he turned back to fixing the steps. He saw that she was holding a bento box out to him which he wasn't expecting.

"If Emerald comes looking for me before I come back, give this to him." She ordered him, and Gold studied her hand. Seeing that there was no ring he wondered about who Emerald could be to her. "And tell him to wait. We should be back in an hour so you shouldn't have to entertain him for long."

Gold could see from the soft twinkle in her eyes that the man was important to her and wondered if that love to another was why his powers was failing her, though he had been able to seduced women in love before so that wasn't the answer. Why he was giving her much thought since she was destined to die in three months. She would be just another job to him then, as all of the others were.

"Crystal!" The pair looked up to see a little boy recklessly running across the street to them and latch himself onto her leg when he saw Gold. Gold stiffened at the sight of the boy and the step beneath his hand shattered in his tightening grip. He hurried to cover his action as Crystal knelt in front of the boy and told him that she would be gone for an hour which made the boy frown. "Can I come with you?"

"You'll probably be bored by it so you won't be missing anything. It will only be for an hour, Emerald, and I promised Lyra that I'll go with her already," Crystal told the boy. "But you won't be alone Emerald, Gold's going to take care of you while I'm at the museum. There should be some candy on the countertop for you if you behave while I'm gone."

"So that's Emerald," Gold said in a hard voice as the boy left, he didn't know that he would rather Emerald be a man of importance to her or a reminder of his failings as he was now. The tools clattering to the ground when he stood and she saw how rigid his back was. Crystal noted that his behaviour now was such a contrast to what she saw in the past. Was it really alright to leave Emerald with this man?

"He's a good kid. I met him at the orphanage that I volunteered and he took a liking to me I guess since he would always try to come help around the shop. I don't know how much experience you have with kids but can you try to get along with him for an hour. He's already pretty independent so it shouldn't be too hard to watch over him and-"

"I just don't like kids." Gold snapped. He took a deep breath before smiling warily to her shocked face. "Sorry for that, I've just never been as good as kids as I am with animals. I'll take care of the shrimp if it means you spend the day with your sister and I promise not to do anything to him."

Crystal didn't know if she should believe him but she could hear Lyra calling to her. She told herself that she could call a friend to check on them while she was gone. When Emerald came out again, she gave him a quick hug before going after her sister and gave Gold a warning as she left, "If he tells me that you mistreated him I'll throw you out."

"Crystal really cares for you, doesn't she?" Gold asked the kid when Crystal was out of sight. When the boy nodded, Gold placed a hand on the boy's head. "You are never to put yourself in danger by running across the street so recklessly ever again, you hear me? Do everything you can to live to tomorrow so that the last time we'll ever meet you will be an old man."

The boy nodded numbly at Gold's words and was glad that his power reached the little boy. He didn't know how the boy would die but hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself. He learned long ago that fighting fate would only make death much more painful.

* * *

"This is beautiful," Lyra stood in front of a portrait and looked back to Silver who was staring up at another painting of a fallen angel. Crystal went to speak with the curator, leaving them alone but he had barely spoken since he came upon that painting. She went to stand beside him, "Wasn't your sister named the Fallen Keeper? I thought that with her power she would've been the Time Keeper."

"Both of Blue and Green's power suites the title of Time Keeper," Silver nodded spoke absentmindedly, his mind focused on the time Blue had fallen from grace and her only chance of survival was to become a Keeper. He still didn't know what happened to her at the trials only that her heart was broken. He could still see her tears when she said told him that he would become a Keeper.

"I'm sure you're worried about her," Lyra gave him a sympathetic look. "But I'm sure that she can protect herself and I know that the other Keepers care for her as well. I'm sorry that you can't be with your sister because you have to protect me."

"You say sorry a lot," Silver tilted his head at her and she laughed at that, saying that it was true. He didn't know why the slightest thing made her smile. She looked at the floor when she reminded him that she couldn't spend her last few months frowning. She swayed back on her heel of her feet as she tilted her head to meet his steel grey eyes.

"I hate to ask this of you but I still have work and I know that you have to watch over me but I don't want to put you out. I want to wait to see if they have someone to replace me before I quit," Lyra trailed off and Silver could see how hard she was trying to hide her pain so quickly agreed. She smiled at his reluctant kindness and took his gloved hand with both of hers, shaking it. "Thank you."

Lyra waved to her sister when she saw her return with some pamphlets. She realized that she was still holding Silver's hand and blushed, quickly stepping back from him. Crystal didn't say anything as they continued down the hall and Lyra wondered if she even noticed. Lyra looked at her hand while they continued to walk and noted that his gloved hand was rather cold.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Lyra wrapped her arm around the two and pulled them forward to the next room, "to just spend the entire day together like this! I know what you're going to say but I'm hoping that you'll join me for this picnic I'm planning. We can invite Black and White but they might be busy with Gray. Oh well, we'll still have fun just the four of us, five if you want to invite Emerald."

"Do you want me to help you prepare any of the food?" Crystal asked with a sigh, giving into her sister. Lyra cheered and skipped ahead of them in her glee. She turned to Silver and saw that he had a small smile as he watched her sister. "So how did you and my sister meet?"

"Hmm?" Silver tried to remember the story he and Lyra agreed on, that she took pity on a homeless man when he saved her from being robbed. "She is very kind, though I worry about how trusting she is. I must ask you, do all humans speak as much as she does since you don't go on and on. I don't know if I want her to face reality or have her stay blissfully ignorant."

"Humans?" Crystal continually found more reasons to doubt her guests' sanity. Silver quickly coughed to cover his words as he struggled to find a way to correct his words. He stopped when he saw a feather drift from the ceiling. He was off so fast, that Crystal couldn't follow him.

"We need to find Lyra! If you find her first, take her to Gold." He called back to her knowing that she would be safer with another Keeper to watch over her. Lyra had left his sight while he was speaking with Crystal and he tried to sense her presence out of the many around him.

Lyra couldn't hear him calling for her as she looked up at the painting of a river before her. The world was mute around her as she felt a hand tugged at her but she was alone. The hand seemed to want her to enter the painting and Lyra didn't know the exact moment she did just that. She found herself staring across the river to the couple on the outside.

They were out of focus as the woman dipped her hand into the water and pulled out a fluttering orange flame. She held it to her heart before opening her hand to allow a butterfly to escape. The man behind her was frowning despite the warmth Lyra could feel around them.

"_If I die, will you search for me?"_ Her words were so soft that Lyra could barely hear them. _"Will you try to find my soul in this river?"_

"_They're not going to find out so you don't need to worry about that,"_ The other man shook her shoulder but she only gave him a soft smile. He fell to his knees beside her and placed his forehead on hers. _"I'm sorry I did this to you, you shouldn't have to worry about these things. There's so much you still don't know about us."_

"_I know I'll never stop loving you."_ She answered simply, though rather shyly. As if she believed that he would reject her, even with the decades of love between them.

"_We're not like other souls now, we're Keepers. We cannot be breathed back into the earth when we die. Our death shall be final. So if they kill me, you'll never be able to find me again."_ He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a flower growing from his touch to keep it in place. _"You don't to worry about that since I'm going to protect you-"_

"Lyra!" Silver turned the corner to see Lyra standing before a painting. His eyes widened when he saw the image of Lyra flicker, the light of her soul drifting towards the painting. Even when he called out to her, she didn't respond and he had to physically pull her from the painting before she regained herself. He could still sense the presence of another angel so cast a barrier around them as he pulled her into the next room.

"Silver!" Lyra cried out when he entered a room and slammed the door behind him, placing a hand over her mouth. She could feel his breath on her ear as he listened for anyone around them, his body almost completely covering hers. She was still dazed from being pulled away so suddenly and wondered about the couple that suddenly appeared in the painting.

Silver couldn't hear the beats of angel wings anymore and let out a sigh as he released her. He didn't know why she was flushed red as he straightened. He opened the door for her but she stopped at the sight of all of the collapsed people in the hall before them. Lyra rushed forward to one and was quick to call for an ambulance but Silver knew that it would be too late for them.

Silver took a golden feather from one of the bodies and his teethes clenched together. It held the power of a Keeper but he couldn't recognize the feather.

"Silver!" He heard Lyra call out to him as she ran back to him, a worried glaze on her eyes as she all but ran into him. He held her arms to steady her and he knew that she was worried for her sister. He placed the feather in his pocket before turning his attention to her, not knowing why the fear in her eyes touched him so but could only give her arm a squeeze as his sister had done for him when they were younger.

"I called her and she said that she's waiting outside," Lyra placed a hand over her racing heart as she told him that. She was so taken back with relief that she instinctively went to Silver even as he straightened and placed her at arm's length. She knew that she shouldn't take his coldness as a rejection but couldn't help but turn her gaze to the ground so he wouldn't see her blush.

"That's good," Silver nodded to her and turned to examine the people around them. Their souls were gone though he knew that the Elders wouldn't schedule the death of so many at such an open place. He would have to discuss this with the others but his focus on Lyra as she tried to pull his arm to the entrance where her sister was waiting.

He could hear the sirens of the ambulance coming towards them and took her by her waist, rushing her forward to flee the scene but she fought against him. "The police will want answers and I need to tell them what happened so I can help them with the investigation."

She was already out of his arms and moving to her sister, speaking to her quickly before going to the police. Silver rubbed his temple, wondering why she was bothering when there was nothing she could do for the victims and guilty. He could only pray that her discussion with the police wouldn't draw the attention of the Elders as he stood next to her.

He remembered the presence of Adam the previous day and the death of the elderly man and couldn't help but wonder why death was following him, instead of him causing them. He looked back to Lyra and watched her with Keeper's eyes. Her weakening light shudder in the corpse of her body and wondered if he had the other half of his power, if he could save her.

* * *

When the three arrived home much later, thanked to Lyra's constant detours, Crystal found that the porch was barely touched, maybe worse off than when they left that morning. A heavy layer of paint encircled the shop and she couldn't understand the symbols drawn but was too tired to put any thought into them, saying that she would wash them away tomorrow.

The inside of her shop was quiet and dark which made her wonder where Emerald could be. Remembering Gold's harsh reception to Emerald, she rushed up the stairs hoping to find the boy safe. What she found was Gold sprawled on the couch sleeping, with Emerald on his chest. The television flicked before them and neither woke when she shut it off.

She had to admit that the sight was rather endearing, knowing that Emerald was wary of others since he had been bullied for his height in the past. Emerald was still mused with sleep when she lifted him into her arms and he mumbled something beneath his breath about being greater than Arthur that she didn't completely understand.

"It's late and I need to take Emerald back to the orphanage." She told Lyra who was yawning herself. Gold opened an eye when he heard the door closed and ran his hand through his shaggy hair. His eyes landed on Lyra and wondered why he was letting his friend make the same mistake he did. Silver knew about Arthur yet he promised the woman more time.

"Are you okay?" Silver asked him but Gold only gave him a reluctant grin saying that there was nothing he couldn't handle. Silver didn't comment further, knowing his proud friend so pulled out the feather he found and explained what happened at the museum.

"I'll call them," Gold stepped out of the room leaving Silver alone with Lyra who was looking at him worried. She had so many questions for him and wondered if he would answer any of them. She had trouble reading the man since his actions contradicted at so many times. He pushed her away but he also worried for her.

"What do I ask you first?" Lyra mumbled, pulling her legs closer to her chest. Silver couldn't see her eyes as she dropped her head to her knees. She looked back to Silver and could see the short time she had with him. Laughing with herself, she turned away. "It still doesn't seem real yet, like I'm watching a movie."

"You are a human, this isn't your world." Silver sat next to her. "Even if you had died and became a soul this wouldn't be your world. You hadn't been trained or even made privy to this world before. I didn't think when allowing you to live."

"Don't say you're changing your mind!" Lyra's heart stopped when she thought that he might be rethinking their deal.

"Of course not, a Keeper must keep their promises." They looked up to see Blue fly through the window, landing gracefully behind the two with a knowing smile. She smiled ironically knowing that every one of them had broken a promise with the exception of Silver. "Gold told us what happened and everyone else should be here soon."

"We already are," The trio looked up to see Green and Red walk into the room. "Show us the feather."

Silver pulled the feather from his pocket and didn't see the shock cross everyone's face. Red took the feather roughly from his hands. Lyra wondered at the thickening tension around them such that she could believe that there was another presence. The other Keepers stared at it for a moment before Red breathlessly said to himself. "This is Yellow's feather."

* * *

**You should see the first couple drafts of this XD The Mangaquestshipping was everywhere to the point that my friend had to stand next to me to slap my hand every time he saw it dominating the chapter. I'm just worried my love for them will cause me to make their subplot have more focus than the central shipping for this fanfic. I have to admit that I'm having more fun with the backstory for the other Keeper than anything else.**


	4. The Dark Keeper's Light

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

"It can't be Yellow's feather," Red argued against his hope that it could be hers even as he knew that there was nothing left of her. But there was no mistaking her feather in his hand. He looked desperately to his friends for an answer, any answer to clear the confusion in his mind. "Why was Yellow's feather at the museum? Why is the bastard taunting us with this? How did he even get Yellow's feather?"

"He needs to know the truth Green!" Blue turned to Green desperately and he turned away from her. The faces of the Elders flashed before him and he stepped away from the group, looking down at the floor. Blue bit her bottom lip though she couldn't blame him for his fear of the Elders.

"You've been lying to me?" Red knew the answer from their guilty expression but it didn't help lessen the betrayal he felt. Blue was the first one to comfort him after the trials and Yellow's death. After centuries, neither of them had bothered to tell him… he couldn't be properly feel angry without knowing what they hid from him. The only emotion left for him to feel was betrayal and frustration.

The ground shook as vines crawled through the non-existent cracks in the floor and crawled up the wall. Gold struggled to keep Red's emotion from erupting but Red was pushing away his influence. Red threw a glare at the man followed by wind that pushed him back. Blinded by rage, he couldn't control his Keeper's rage as lightning split the ground at Gold's feet.

"We don't want to hurt you," Silver pulled off his glove and absorbed the lifeforce of Red's attack, feeling pain rush up his arm at the power he winced and stumbled back. Lyra saw the destruction of her home and could do nothing but grab a vase to spill the water over his head. He turned to her but Blue had already tackled him to the ground. "Stop time for Red now, Green!"

Green winced when she mouthed for him to stop time for the Elders since they needed to keep the Elders from watching them. Green looked from her to Red, still hesitating. Stopping time took much more of his energy since he had to constantly control time and doing so against the Elders could be too much for him.

He let out a frustrated breath and whispered, "Time is. I will only be able to hold them for fifteen minutes so tell him now."

Green made time stop for his friend as well to allow him a moment to calm. Blue ease herself off Red when she felt the fight leave him. "Green and I wanted to save Yellow and Silver. Green was supposed to stop time before she died so we could take her away before her soul was completely destroyed."

"She's alive," Red touched his cheek and realized that he was crying. He looked to Blue and browed his head at her, feeling guilty that he jumped to rage and hurt her. He should've known better of her since he knew that she held friends in high regard. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"It's okay," Blue pat his shoulder knowing that Red wasn't one for blind violence.

"I'm sure you have her somewhere safe. Will I ever be able to see her?" Red asked though he wondered why they had never told him about her before. Blue was silent for a moment but Red refused to let the rage influence him again when she told him she didn't know where Yellow was. He didn't know why fate wanted him to endure being given hope and having it be taken away.

"Quickly Blue," Green urged her and see could see his endurance waning.

* * *

_Yellow bit her lip as she stood across from Red in the arena with the crowd cheering for him to kill her. Blue could see both of them fighting back, refusing to attack one another. Even Green winced at the sight of the Elders bringing down lightning to attack the pair. Yellow was quick to absorb the power of the lightning at the same time Red summoned his own lightning to counter their attack._

"_Do as you are ordered Red!" The Elders shouted even as Red still hesitated. "Do you wish to die as well? We will order you both to be killed if you do not fight each other. We shall be not be disobeyed by two insolent Keeper! Remember your place or we shall have Gold step in."_

_The man in question prayed that it would not come to that since he would have little choice but to do as they said. Who could break their fate? He was already on bad terms with the Keeper so couldn't risk their angering them further._

"_Attack me Red," Yellow whispered and gave him a shaky smile. He shook his head furiously even as he could see the air around her shimmer. He knew that she was gathering the lifeforce from the area around her as the ground beneath her feet cracked. "I don't want to have this power, especially if I have to use it to hurt you. Please just attack me!"_

"_I promised to protect you!" He argued even as he felt himself growing warmer. He knew that she was giving him strength he had no wish to use against her. There was a clear line drawn between them, marking the area she was drawing energy from. He wanted to go to her and gather her in his arm but knew that if he crossed that line, he would die himself._

_Her bangs hid her emotion and the only hint of pain he knew she felt was the trail of tears on her cheek. He never felt more useless in his life as he did at that moment. He tried to use a vine whip to restrain her but she only gave it more power such that it cut her arm. When he saw her hurt, he quickly pulled back._

"_Attack her again!" The Elders ordered and Blue's hand tightened on the rail before her as she watched her friends. As much as she hated it, she needed them to fight to make Yellow's death look believable. Her hand tightened on the amber stone but she couldn't see a future for her friend. Green's hand on her shoulder gave her a little encouragement that all would end well._

_Fueled with rage, Red turned to where the Elder sat watching them with distain and tried to attack him with a thunderbolt. His heart stopped when he saw his attack change direction such that it attacked Yellow. He knew that she was the one to redirect the attack and hated that she was willing to sacrifice herself for him._

_The barrier she placed around herself faltered for a moment and he used that moment to get close to her. He was before her in moments and gathered her in his arms. "I won't hurt you Yellow and I won't let you do this for me! I'm no more important than you are so stop this."_

"_Is it selfish to admit that I am doing this for myself too? I don't want the burden of being the Dark Keeper any more than I want to hurt you. Please free me," She cupped his hand and could feel so much energy surge through him that he couldn't contain his power anymore. Even as he shouted for her to stop, she refused to let go._

"_I'm glad that you were holding me to the end." She fought to speak the words as lightning tore through her and rested her head against his chest. She could feel Red's tears fall on her, mixing with her own tears and blood. His silent tears rang in her ear much louder than the cheering of the crowd._

_She was sure she would die even as she whispered. "I love you Red."_

"_Time is!" The shout was barely a whisper to her and could feel the wind Blue's wings created as she rushed to her side. But she barely had enough energy to lift her head as Blue took her from Red's arms and shouted for her to heal herself. Yellow didn't understand what was happening as she tried to heal herself with what was left of the field around her._

"_We need to get her away from here!" Blue looked over her shoulder to Green who was struggling to keep time still for the entire arena. She eased Yellow's arm over her shoulder to help her stand, "It's going to be okay Yellow. We're going to take you to the safe house I already have set up."_

"_You were always a troublesome Keeper," Blue's heart stopped at the Elder's voice and looked over to Green who was all but collapsed on the ground. He must've broken through Green's hold and despite the fear she felt, she mutely glared up at the man. "Hand her over!"_

"_No!" Blue shouted back hoping they would not see the trembling of her legs. She knew very well what the Elders could do to her. Yellow's soul began to flicker before her and she knew that she needed to get Yellow away quickly. She felt the Elder try to pull at Yellow's soul and Blue tried desperately to keep Yellow's soul in her body._

"_She is already dead!" One Elder argued and Blue shook her head furiously. She turned to Green to tell him to let time flow once again so Red could help them. His back was to her and she could see it was rigid. "He knows his place unlike others. Now give us the Keeper."_

"_Green," She could only stare at the man a moment before the realization came to her. She bit her lip, not knowing to feel angry or heartbroken. "You told them, didn't you?"_

"_He knows better than to fight us." It was the Elder that answered instead. Once again she felt them pull at Yellow's soul but she could barely hold on past her shock. Yellow was too weak to keep hold of her body though and Blue could feel her slipping away._

"_Stop!" Blue cried out when one was finally able to pull Yellow's soul from her hands. Instinct took over her and she pulled out a knife from her boot. None had attacked an Elder so blatantly before so they were taken by surprise. Her knife dug into his shoulder and his grip on Yellow's soul loosened. Fragments of her soul that they weren't able to take back faded away into the air._

"_Such insolence," the Elder pushed her away and she fell back against Green who caught her. She pushed him away though and looked back to the Elders that didn't give her a second thought. "But this should be enough to transfer her power to the next Keeper. We shall forgive you though, Fallen Keeper, as we had made an example of your friend already."_

"_I'll never stop fighting you!" Blue tilted her head defiantly at them. "I'll find the rest of Yellow's soul and take back the part you have! I don't care if you have another Dark Keeper for I'll just take her soul back from him as well. I'm going save my friend and damn you if you try to stop me!"_

"_Even if that Keeper is your brother?" Blue stopped at that but the Elder went on. "Bring the man forward Green, so we can finish with this Trial."_

"_It was all you," Blue screamed but didn't turn to Green for fear of her emotion erupting. It didn't help that he tried to say that he was trying to protect her. She trusted him and he betrayed both of her brother and her friend. She couldn't help but whisper, "I hate you."_

* * *

"I don't even know if her soul was even strong enough to escape at that point." Red dropped his head and Blue could only hug her friend that must be feeling the questionable hope she knew all too well. Haven't she tried to search for Yellow herself? "The Elders forbid us to tell you the truth and made you think that she died that day."

"It's okay," Red said after some time though his voice was still rough. He was still trying to absorb the fact that Yellow could still be alive. He wanted so desperately to search for her but knew that as a Keeper he had to find the man trying to attack them.

"Green!" Blue saw him falling forward, exhausted. She quickly caught the larger man and eased him to the ground, unable to hold his weight. She let out a sigh when she felt his pulse, and felt the air around them shiver as time returned to normal.

"At least now we have a motive," Green whispered as he rubbed his temple. He gestured to the feather in Red's hand, "It might be Yellow trying to kill us. Think about this logically. Maybe she's trying to revenge what we did to her and she would know everything about us as well."

"How could you say something like that about Yellow?" Blue dropped him from her lap and he groaned in pain. It seemed that he could never say the right thing around her and he saw the fire in Red's eyes flicker to life. He should've known that saying such a thing would anger the two. He turned to Gold for help but he merely held up his hand.

"The person that attacked me was a man," Red argued. "And his power wasn't one of a true Keeper. She was your friend as well so don't you dare-"

"Stop!" Gold had to scream over their argument. He knew that their team was breaking apart when he had to be the one to use logic. He knew Silver wasn't going to speak against his sister. "We're supposed to be a team so stop this. I've only known Yellow for a short time but she doesn't seem to be the type for revenge. We can ask him how he had Yellow's feather after we capture him."

"With all of this tension, maybe it's best to work apart," Blue sighed knowing that she would very well chock Green out of frustration. "I'll go back to the river to see if there's anything I might've missed."

"I'm coming with you!" Green followed her even after her cold glare told him exactly how she thought of him doing so. With a strong beat of her wings, she pushed him back and was off so fast she was a mere speck in the distance when he regained his footing. He looked back to Red who was leaving as well and sighed to himself. He knew that the Elders wanted none of them to have an emotional connection and it seemed that they were succeeding in pulling them apart.

And he had only himself to blame.

* * *

"I want to go with you," Silver sat next to his sister as she pulled a soul from the river, studying it before placing it back. Blue shook her head and turned to her brother reminding him that the Elders wouldn't allow him to come. If she was honest, she would've told him that she didn't want to worry him anymore.

"It's okay. Anyways you have to watch that little Lyra girl. Shouldn't you be with her right now? Speaking of the woman, I made something for her." Silver took the bag and raised his brow at the content. She only smiled at him, "Remember when I made those gloves for us when we were going through the trials?"

"Yeah, but why now?" Silver asked her and she gave him a knowing smile which only made him fear what she was planning. "I want to go with you. I can have Gold watch over Lyra while I go with you."

"You shall do no such thing!" Blue gave him a stern look that was so unlike her Silver had to smile when she burst out into laughter. Her eyes softened when she sat next to him. "Don't worry about me. But I need to remind you that Lyra's a human and some things are still new to her. If she needs it, give her comfort."

"What use can I be?" He stared down at his gloved hand.

* * *

"If you want to go to your sister, I'll understand. To be honest, it might be easier for me to break in on my own." Lyra called out to him. He was waiting outside the bathroom where she was changing. His brow rose when she stepped out, he could barely recognize her since she wore a black wig and business attire.

It was late but the casino they were in was brightly lit. She told him excitedly about the casino's underground dealings she was planning to uncover earlier that night. When he asked her why she was bothering with a disguise, she replied. "People aren't likely to talk to reporters so I have to pretend to be someone else. It's kind of fun to do so though it's a lot of trouble too."

"You could always ask my sister for help next time," Silver told her. "She has this odd ability to disguise herself as anyone she wants with her- No the less you can influence each other, the better. She did give me something to give you though I don't think it will suit your current attire."

"A present from a Keeper?" Lyra laughed at that and thought that he must love his sister from his smile whenever he spoke of her. She took his hand and led him down to the gambling hall. Silver didn't bother to dress for the event, thinking to keep a barrier around him the entire time so no one could see him. "Just give it to me later tonight."

There were rumours of illegal dealings in the casino, according to her friend, Lack who was an undercover cop. From the corner of his eye, he saw her snicker as she detailed her plan and couldn't help but say: "You are a scary woman."

"I'm adorable!" Lyra laughed and turned on her heel so she could watch him as she walked backwards. Some people whispered around her but she didn't seem to notice them for she kept her smile. "I don't see why you insist on wearing that jacket since you must be sweating in it. Some people might think you're a vampire by the way you cover yourself up."

"Humans think of the silliest things. Do you honestly think that we haven't killed them all off by now?" Silver scoffed and she could only gawk at him. "To think that humans wanted to cling onto life so much that they would sell their soul to the devil."

"I sold mine to a Keeper," Lyra watched his reaction from the corner of her eyes. He clenched his teethes for a moment before nodding to her, as if he accepted that he was as evil as the devil. "Well I guess I did get a better deal than those people. But you can't blame them for not wanting to die? You might know what happens after a person die but they don't. I guess I still don't know what will happen to me even after you explained it to me."

Silver heard her voice catch even as her smile stayed steady. She teased him again and went to poke his cheek but he quickly grabbed her hand to stop her. She let out a small sound when he pulled her into his body. She looked back to see that she had almost stepped walked backwards into the stairs. People around them whispered and she knew that she must've looked like she was clinging to air. "I'm not crazy!"

"If you have to say that, there might be a chance you might be mad," Silver said and she puffed her cheek. She knew she wasn't making a great for her sanity as she argued with him but ignored the onlookers and continued to the gambling hall.

"You are not helping," She whispered to him as they walked, always keeping an eye on the tables. She listened to the conversation between the dealer and higher bidder as she passed, comparing phases they used. When she found a mostly deserted blackjack table, she sat herself down. She threw several chips onto the table, "I think lady luck is with me tonight."

Silver watched her as her small stack grew to hundreds in the half hour she played, though he knew that she was clearly counting the cards. A crowd gather around her and he tried to keep from accidentally touching them. She was making quite a show with her chips and hoped that she wouldn't attract the wrong attention.

"Do you think I can buy a white rabbit with all these chips? If I hit blackjack will you show me to wonderland?" She asked the dealer and he raised a brow at her. She tapped the card and not to her surprise she hit blackjack. She smiled kindly at the man and stood, "Lack invited me."

"This way my lady," He gestured for someone to escort her and she followed him after gathering her chips. She could feel Silver's gaze on her as they entered a mostly deserted room. She scanned the room stopping before the mirror her sources had told her about. Running her hand over it until she found the switch, it opened into a large theater.

Even though she had already knew about the auction, she still gawked at the size of it. She found herself a seat and looked up at the stage where a vase was being auction, most likely stolen. She checked her phone but there was no signal and sighed. She would just have to obtain as much evidence as she could without being noticed.

"Are you always like this on the job?" He asked next to her, remembering how sweet she was outside of her job. She just waved away his concern with a smile which only made him worry more. She continued to confuse him as she took a recorder from her pocket and moved from her seat.

"I need to get onto that stage. Don't worry about me, I'll be right back!" She had to call out to him since she was already well on her way to the stage. He flew after her of course, wondering how she so quick when maneuvering through the crowd. He watched her as she showed something to a man that allowed her backstage. When he would've gone after her, Gold's voice rang in his ears.

Lyra made sure that no one was watching as she hid a camera among the tools to capture the entire auction. With that done, she went to interview a worker as discretely as she could. She tried to find someone young or naive that might answer her questions and smiled brightly when she found a janitor.

"I'm sorry sir but I'm lost!" She smiled sweetly at the older man. "There are so many people here that I can't seem to find a seat. Is it possible for me to sit on one of those balconies?"

"Only higher ups are able to sit there," He told her and Lyra was glad when he gave her specific names. Glad for all the information he unknowingly gave her, she shook his hand. Once again making sure that no one was watching her, she took the camera from its hiding place. She went to find Silver since she had all the evidence she needed to give to the police and to write her article.

"Silver?" She called to him softly but couldn't find him the crowd. She did find a black feather drift down and she followed it to find Silver fly towards the elderly man she had just spoken to. She bit her lip when she saw him pull off his glove and her shock didn't allow her to turn from him. Silver's face was blank when he placed his hand on the man's neck.

Lyra's hand flew to her neck as the man's eyes rolled back and screamed as the life seemed to the stolen from him. The older man's face contorted in pain and Lyra couldn't hear other panic around her, screaming that he was having a heart attack. Silver merely ripped the light from the man's body and held a flame in his hand.

"Is that a soul? Is that going to be me?" Lyra stared at the flame and gulped. Silver saw her stare at him and was quick to place the soul back into his bag. He could see the full realization of what he was and what was going to happen to her fall upon her. Her eyes were merely wide with daze and he didn't know why the lack of emotion touched him more than screams or tears could.

"I'm going to die," She whispered to herself and he wished she would faint so he wouldn't have to look into her shock eyes any longer. But she stood there, her eyes following the flame as he placed it back in her bag. Silver couldn't think of anything he could do to help her, knowing that reality must've crushed her light more than he could.

He pulled the overly large hat Blue had given from his bag and walked to her. She didn't move when he pulled it over her head and gently nudged her head into the crook of his neck. The hat covered her temple where it would've touched his skin. He couldn't answer her directly when she asked, "That's going to be me… this is real."

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say.

* * *

Silver sat on the edge of the window, listening to Gold play his flute and watching the souls of different colours trail through the sky. He looked back to Lyra who was sitting on her bed, hugging the hat to her head. "You must think I'm crazy to freeze up like that when I knew this entire time that I'm going to die."

"It wasn't real to you until now I guess. To be honest I thought it would be something much more gruesome to make you see reality," Silver searched through his bag again and threw her a pair of white gloves. "My sister said that it would be easier to make you these rather than just have you tip toe around touching me. Don't know why she thinks that would be a problem though."

Lyra looked down at the gloves and hat and forced a chuckle, "I must look like Mario in these. But thank you anyways. I can't seem to stop shaking so how do you deal with it?"

"It's just a job to us," He flinched at how cold it sounded to even him. "Blue called and said that the river is rather low so we need to take more souls than usual. She has a meeting with the Elders to discuss something with them and I wish I could go with her."

"I wish I knew what to tell you beside saying that your sister is strong."

He felt Lyra move next to him and stare at the Milky Way now washed over with colours in the sky. She couldn't believe something so beautiful can be caused by something as sad and final as death. As Gold's song ended, the colour faded from the sky and Lyra looked down at the hat in her hands. There was nothing she could do but try to use the time the Keeper had given her.

* * *

**The world is going to end since there's not one hint of Mangaquestshipping XD Just needed to have one big SoulSilver moment because I am going to spam Oldrival and Mangaquest next chapter XD I thought a flashback would be less boring than an exposition dump and I just miss writing Specialshipping**


	5. Time's Passing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

Blue stood before the Elders, refusing to show any emotion she felt towards them, be it her fear or hatred. The five towered over her from their seat in the throne room and she could only bow her head to them as much as she hated doing so. Their voice echoed through the room.

"How many times must we tell you to follow us before you stop disobeying us?" One screamed. "We forbid you to speak with your brother yet you do so countless times in the past couple days! I'm sure if we asked you if you left the case of the previous Dark Keeper well enough alone, you will tell us that you have kept searching for her."

"And I have!" Blue shouted. Green wished that Blue wasn't such a passionate woman as he secretly watched the meeting from the rafters in the ceiling. It was that one thing he admired and love in her that could very well bring the Elder's waft on her. He saw her pale and her entire body stiffened.

Blue felt her body temperature drop until she couldn't stop her shaking. She nervously looked down at her feet and saw ice slowly engulfing her. A raw scream threatened to chock her and tried to hug herself for warmth, as if it could protect her from their laughter. Flashes of winter training tortured her and she wished she was stronger than them.

"Remember your place Fallen Keeper," Blue dropped to her knees when she felt warmth return to her but couldn't even her ragged breathing. "Your only duty is to keep the angels in line and take the more difficult souls. You do not need any emotional connection for that. The next time we see you speaking with your brother again, you and your brother will be punished. Do you understand us?"

Blue didn't answer but they took her silence as submission and waved her away. She struggled to her feet even as she felt a soft breeze help her stand. A strong arm came around her waist to support her and she looked up to see Green bow to the Elders beside her. "Sorry for my intrusion but I wanted to discuss the attacks on the Keepers with you immediately. Pardon us Fallen Keeper."

His voice was cold but she could see the concern in his jade eyes as they pleaded for her to leave. She clutched her hand in her skirt and glared at the Elders. She didn't want to give into them entirely so stayed where she was, "We believe that he is taking souls to create his own power and is able to take their power. He also seems to have knowledge of us so I request access to the records of the Trials."

"Denied," They said rather backhandedly. "We shall look into this situation ourselves and we do not need your assistance. Just do your duty as a Keeper and don't question our orders ever again. The next time we speak, we expect you to have curbed that sharp tongue of yours."

Blue turned on her heel without any parting words, storming out of the hall. They all enraged her to no bounds and she wished that she had been giving a physical power so that she could fight them for now she could only use her wit and foresight. She knew that they didn't care if any of them died, Keepers were replaceable after all. So she had no choice but to disobey them to protect her friends.

She looked back to the Elders and made sure they were occupied by Green as she opened a portal to bring her to the library. She stepped out and pulled a cloak over her head as she tried to keep her energy low so the Elders wouldn't be able to sense her. Keeping her head low, she made her way to the back of the library where she knew the Elders kept all of their records.

Of course there were two guards standing before it and it irritated her that things did not come simply to a Keeper. She came forward and didn't flinch when they swung their spears down to block her path. Blue forged boredom as she barely gave them a glance and pushed away the spears slowly, seeing their past as she did so. "Come Koga, you must know that this game is useless. You have a daughter I believe-"

"Leave her out of this for I am only doing my duty!" He took her arm but Blue refused to step away as she looked back to the other guard. She couldn't use the full extent of her power without drawing the attention of the Elders. But they knew very well what she capable of.

"You are the one that will hurt her with your secrets. Every girl wants to think the best of her parents but none of us can live purely in our past life. Do you want to keep her blissfully ignorant or do you want me to pass? And Volkner, I would like to remind you that your love is considered a sin."

The man froze, staring at her shocked. He hesitated before drawing away from the door, allowing her to enter. Blue saw their hatred as she entered but reminded her that there would be many more. But that didn't stop her from speaking softly to them. "Volkner, they say your love is sin but love in any form cannot be. Koga, your daughter will grow to do great things but she will still need a father."

Blue didn't dare look at their faces while she closed the door behind her. She pushed all of those thoughts from her mind so she could focus on the records. The man after them knew the order they were made Keepers so he had to have participated in the first Trial. Yellow was the last to obtain the title so he must've survived long enough to face her.

In the back of her mind she wondered if he knew about her brother and worried for Silver.

She pulled off her glove and ran her hand over the spines of the books, reading their content without opening them. Finding the book she needed, she pulled it from its place and tucked it into her cloak. She then moved on to the books on the rituals or other things the man might've used to gain power.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw a shadow move and sighed deeply. With a subtle move of her hip, she knocked the bookcase in such a way that a book fell from its perch above her. She wasn't at all surprised when it stopped in midair. "I know you're there, Green."

Green stepped out from behind a bookcase and it irritated her that he didn't have the decency to look guilty. Despite her anger towards the man she couldn't help the flutter of her heart when he turned his jade eyes to hers. He took didn't say a word as he stood in front of her and took the book suspended above her. "Why am I not surprise you're here?"

"I can say the same to you," Blue retorted and stepped back but found herself against the bookcase. Familiar feelings clutched her heart as he reached out to her and she could only turn her face away from him. Why was she such a fool around him?

"I believe this is the book you'll want," He pulled out a book from next to her and placed it in her hands. He held her hand a little longer than needed before stepping back, "I want to help you Blue. I have the Elders' trust so I can help you."

"Because you were so much help the last time," Her sarcastic words cut him like the daggers she meant them to be. A thought came to her as she tucked another book into her cloak. "You're working for the Elders again, aren't you. What do they want?"

"I'm here on my own!" Green defended himself against her accusations. "I'm sorry about last time but I was only trying to protect you. They already knew what you were planning and they said that I would have to kill you in another Trial if I didn't give them the details. I was scared and selfish and I didn't lose you. And that's still true now!"

"You can't lose what you don't have," Blue tried to deny her feelings. She knew that she was going to give into her feelings soon so tried to move around him to the other books. She went to a random shelf and found that a book was missing.

"You must've felt what we had was real," Green's voice was a hard plea and she couldn't answer him without revealing her feelings. She kept her back to him but could see him clearly. He slowly turned her to face him. "It was real. If you believe nothing else about me, so be it but please believe that. Let me earn your forgiveness by helping you find who that man is."

Blue went over her options in her mind and knew the biggest risk of having him help her was having her heart broken again but it would gain the safety of her friends. He didn't show any sign of reluctance when she reached out a bare hand to him even though in the past he would. He took her hand and placed it on his cheek, "Look all you want. I have nothing to hide from you."

Blue wished she had to ability to read his mind to know what he was truly thinking. He was an oddity to her since she could read people easily. She pulled her hand away without trying to look into his past. "Look for the record of anyone who might've spoke up against the Keepers."

Green looked relieved at her words but her frown still hurt him. He wondered if he would ever win back her love, or at least her forgiveness.

* * *

"There been a lot of death lately," Crystal commented as she read the newspaper on the porch. A warm cup of coffee sat next to her and she handed another one to Gold who was working on the porch by her feet. Lyra was oddly silent next to her so she went on. "The doctors said that the cause of death for all of them was a heart attack but so many in one night is strange."

"That could be Red," Gold shrugged. "The Elders did bump up the deaths to keep the river flowing."

He stopped talking when Silver hit him over the head and Gold rubbed the spot. Silver's glare was a flash of condemnation and Gold understood what he just said so amended, "Isn't that what your book would say? I just flipped through the pages but it seems like a lot of nonsense. Where did you get the book?"

"I bought it while traveling," Crystal told him and his brows furrowed at that. He had been inquiring about the book a lot but every time she tried to lend it to him, it would return to her bedside table. She looked back to him as he worked on the porch. "Thank you for taking care of Emerald even though you said you didn't like kids."

"I just had a bad experience with one," He found himself telling her from habit. He would usually speak with humans about his problems and compel them to forget him but he couldn't do so with her. It still confused him that his powers couldn't work on her. He contemplated asking the other Keepers but they might take her soul for investigating and that wouldn't help Silver and Lyra.

Crystal looked down into her coffee drop to see it ripple as a rain drop fell into her cup. She looked up to the sky that was clear a moment before start to rain despite the lack of dark clouds in the sky. She found it strange that there was no report of rain for that morning. Lyra laughed behind her as she jumped out into the rain, pulling Silver behind her. She gestured for Crystal to come as well but Crystal shook her head.

"Come back before you catch a cold Lyra!" Crystal called out to her but she waved away her concern, continuing to dance in the rain. Gold didn't mind the rain but was shocked when it suddenly stopped raining over him and looked up to see Crystal holding an umbrella over him that she took from inside the house. "You can't work in the rain so don't worry about it. The rain will probably ruin it further."

"I'll just fix it," Gold reminded her on a laugh and lounged next to her. "Didn't know you cared."

"Isn't it common courtesy to care?" Crystal wondered about the man that seemed to be so shocked by a simple act of kindness like an umbrella on a raining day. Once again she felt something warm around her shoulder when she sat next to him and watch her sister. "I wish she'll come back in. She's going to get herself sick."

"Corpses can't get sick," He told her and mentally slapped himself for saying so when she looked at him. He quickly changed the subject before she could comment, "Usually Silver wouldn't go out so I'm glad to see him having fun though he's trying to hide it. Why don't you go and enjoy yourself as well?"

"I'm alright," Crystal pulled her knees to her chest. She stared up at the raining sky and when she leaned back she could feel something soft against her back but it looked like air to her. "We've always been like this. I hate to sound like I'm complaining but I've always wished that I could be like her at times, able to let myself go. But then I worry about who will keep us rational if I did so."

"Is that why you're always serious?" Gold asked her and she shrugged. He could feel her rigid back resting against his wing. Seeing the longing in her eyes, he took her hand and pulled her into the rain with him. He grinned from ear to ear at her flustered protest which only made him want to tease her more. Placing a hand on her hip, he turned her in his arms. "Dance with me SuperSerious Gal."

"I'm in a house full of crazy people," Crystal said deadpanned but everyone only laughed. Her slippers were getting wet but she didn't feel cold and she had to admit that it was due to Gold's warmth surrounding her. His smile was warm as he leaned his forehead on hers though she could see something trouble his eyes. "We're going to get sick and I don't want to great my customers with a stuffy nose."

"You can't greet them until I finish fixing that porch of yours," Gold reminded her. She reached up to brush away that clung to his forehead due to the rain and he gently took her hand for a quick kiss. "It's refreshing having someone doing something for me without my telling them to."

"You're used to getting what you want, aren't you?" She remembered all the times he would try to make her do simple things. He threw his head back and laughed saying that if she knew the truth she would run for the hills. "I wonder about you at times."

"I'm an open book, ask any question and I'll answer it." Gold offered but before she could ask a question there was a flash and Crystal had to rub her eyes. Gold was unaffected by it though and tried to help her. They both turned to a grinning Lyra as she held a camera up to them for another picture and Gold shield Crystal eyes from the flash with his jacket.

"Like Crys will ever forget me!" Gold hugged her around her waist and she rolled her eyes as she moved out of her arms. "Come take a bath with me to wash off."

"Gold!" Crystal chastised him and Lyra laughed even as she pushed herself between the two. She looked to Silver and waved for him to join their group. He couldn't help but obliged her wide smile and stood next to them as they returned him though he did stop Gold before they entered the house and whispered.

"Did you feel it too? This rain isn't normal." Gold's face was hard as he nodded. He didn't realize until he had already had stepped out into the rain with Crystal and couldn't very well pull her back in without her becoming suspicious. "It feels like Red's power but not exact. Red wouldn't just create rain like this."

"I'll call Red," Silver went into the house when Lyra called for them.

* * *

Green and Blue huddled beneath the tree with Green keeping his cloak above her head so none of the rain could touch her. She hadn't stood so close to him in so long and the familiarity hurt as much as it comforted her. Ignoring her own feelings, she spoke what they were both thinking. "He's looking for us."

"I won't let him find you," Green promised beneath his breath and unconsciously pulled Blue closer to him. He stiffened when he realized what he did but couldn't bring himself to step away. If the rain touched her, their pursuer would find her. She would have to wait in Green's arms until the rain stopped.

Blue looked to the books they had been reading when the rain started. He had sensed the familiar magic and stopped time long enough to throw his jacket over her as he pulled her away. In the Trials Yellow had defeated very little people so they only had a few suspects so she was glad if it meant they could find the man quicker.

She recognized Green's quiet caring as he placed his chin on the top of her head staring at the falling rain. He reached over and collected some of the artificial rain in his hand so he could study it. His eyes glowed green but he couldn't see a reminiscent of a soul within as his shadows power held. It was a true power of a Keeper.

Blue closed her eyes and took his other hands in her bare one and hesitated before looking into their immediate future. She turned in his arms and grabbed his shirt as she pulled him sharply away from the tree and into the rain. He was shocked to see a hand reaching out from the shadows behind them.

As he was about to call out an attack, the water around them turned to lightning exploding around them. Blue was quicker than Green and jumped back, dragging him along with her. Taking seeds from her pocket, she threw them at the attacker's feet and Green didn't miss a beat, speeding time so that they grew into a tree trapping the hand.

"Time was," Green swore when their attacker merely reversed time to free himself and jumped forward to attack them. Blue stepped forward to attack him even as Green tried to pull her away to flee.

"All I need is one second. If I can see his past, I can see who he is." Blue told him in a harsh whisper even as she already pulled on her cestus on her right hand. Blue knew that her powers weren't meant for battle so she trained on her own without the Elders' knowledge.

She was already off to fight the man struggling to leave the shadows before she could attack him. He barely dodged her and she couldn't help but feel smug as his shock face when her punch destroyed the ground at his feet.

"Time will be." Green knew there was no reasoning with her when she decided on something and concentrated his power on her. Her speed greatly rose but still he was able to evade her attacks though she could see it was struggle for him.

"Use 'Times was' three feet behind him!" Blue told him and he didn't question her as he did so, reversing time to recreate the attack their persuader used on them. They had fought together in the past and he was glad they could still fight as one. It only staggered him for a moment before he created shadows in an attempt to restrain her.

"Blue!" He flew forward and took her free hand to pull her away from the shadows. When he saw her eyes glowed he knew that she was using him to see into their future. She pointed to an area on the ground and he made the seeds there grow into trees to shield them from the assault of the shadows. Some crept through the trees but Blue flew into the air, taking Green with her.

"Time will be!" Green saw that he was going to reverse time on Blue and cancelled the man's attack. She flew towards the man quickly, dodging every attack he sent at them cursing her. When they were close enough, she let go of Green's hand and went forward on her own.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, shadows erupted around her leaving her nowhere to run. Green couldn't reach her in time before they turned to blades and her cestus could do little to attack or defend since there were so many. She could hear Green's scream her name behind her. He jumped into the shadows and wrapped his arms around her as they hit the ground hard in attempt to protect her.

She felt something warm drip onto her temple and she realized that it was Green's blood from where the shadows cut him. His weight slowed her as she tried to help them both escape. Her breath was forced from her when someone kicked her suddenly and grabbed her neck. Like Red described, she could feel her powers draining from her.

She tried to reach out so she could use her powers on him but black spots flashed before her eyes. Everything became bright for a moment as he suddenly let go of her, screaming out in pain. She forced her eyes opened to see that he was running into the shadows. She turned to Green whose cuts were suddenly healing. She let out a breath of relief when she rested her head on his chest and heard his heart beneath her ear.

Behind closed eyes, she saw a blurry vision of someone flipping through a book until it stopped on a picture of a woman holding a butterfly.

* * *

"The bathroom's free!" Gold called out to Silver as he exit the bathroom. He was about to pull on his shirt when he spotted Crystal on the overly plush couch, reading the book. Her hair was still wet and cascaded over shoulder. Deciding to tease her, he threw an unused towel over her head and hugged her from behind. "You want me to dry your hair?"

"Please," She said sarcastically but he grinned at her answer. He rubbed the towel over her head rather gently and she was surprised that there was nothing sexual in his gesture. He leaned over her shoulder and saw that she was reading about the war that made the Elders create the title of Keeper. She placed her hand over his to stop him, "I can't read when you're doing that."

"You can read that later," he tried to take book from her once more but she stood so that it was out of his reach behind her back. Her retort died on her tongue when she saw the scars marking his chest. He saw her staring and laughed, "It's not polite to stare Crys, even if you enjoy the view."

"Put on a shirt!" She threw the towel at him but he caught it easily which irritated her. Did the man know any boundaries? He turned around to pull a shirt over his head and she saw that there were similar scars on his back as well. They looked deep and old but she couldn't ask him how he got them without being rude. He turned and saw her questioning eyes so said.

"You don't need to worry about them. Now smile for me Crys," he pinched her cheeks and pulled them into a smile. "You know most women will fall in love with me for my scars. They say it gives me this mysterious edge."

"I'm sure it does," Crystal rolled her eyes but had to admit that she wondered about him. He sat next to her on the armrest when she sat to read again. She could feel his breath disturbed strands of her hair as he leaned closer to her to read as well.

"I used to train in the mountains so that's where I got them. Sorry to disappoint you for the lack of heroic feats." Gold tried to distract her by saying a half truth. His eyes strayed from the book to Crystal as she tilted a look to him, as if she could see his life through his eyes. "Has anyone told you that you have beautiful eyes?"

Crystal wondered if he was merely teasing her again or if it was an honest compliment but knowing Gold it could've been either. "I already gave you a home and job so you don't need to say all these things."

"You hurt me," He placed a hand over his heart. His eyes flashed for a moment before he asked, "Won't you kiss me better?"

"Why me? There's a lot more woman out there so why are you bothering with me?" She couldn't understand why he was paying her so much attention and whispered to herself. She turned away from him and turned her attention back to her book. "Do you think angels would really create a rebellion?"

Gold couldn't answer her before he noticed Silver signalling to him and he sighed as he stepped back from her. He ruffled her now dry hair before going to see what Silver wanted. He looked back to her before going to the hall and his eyes met hers so he could read the question in them. He gave her roughish smile to reassure her and went to Silver.

"What's up?" He noticed that Lyra was there as well. From the look on their faces, he knew that it couldn't be good news. "Did he attack again?"

"He attacked Blue and that means you're next," Lyra said quickly. "I'm sure you'll understand when I ask this of you but you can't possibly stay here when he's going to coming after you next. You're going to put my sister in danger and I don't care how capable a fighter you are, I won't risk my sister's life."

Gold looked back down the hall to where Crystal sat in the living room. "I'll go but you won't have to miss me for long 'cause I'm going to defeat him! No one can defeat a Keeper."

* * *

**I suck at fight scenes XD but I'm trying**


	6. Parting Stars

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

Crystal didn't know why but she couldn't sleep despite the late hour. She felt as if there was something missing as she turned on the lamp on her bedside table. Trying to clear her mind, she began to read the book again which she thought would never end. She had been reading it for the last couple days yet she was no closer to finishing did she started.

The pages stuck together when she tried to flip to the last page, forcing her to read each pages one by one. She thought her mind was drifting away when she turned the page to see the pictures moving. Shaking her head, they became normal once again. The image of the Guardian Keeper was faded but there was something familiar about it.

Suddenly she realized what was off that night. She could hear Gold playing his flute but it wasn't his usual cheery tune, instead it sounded rather solemn. In her heart, she knew that there was something wrong so walked out to look for him. He was once again on the roof and even from where she was standing far from him, she could see that his brows were furrowed.

Climbing the ladder to the roof, she went to call out to him but for a moment she thought she saw colours swirl around him as he played. She rubbed her eyes and when she looked back to him, the colours had dulled around him. He stared up at the night sky for a moment before closing the box next to him with his feet and turning back to her.

He stared at her shock for a moment before the tight line of his lips turned to a lopsided smile. He held out his hand to her to help onto the roof. She took his hand and felt something warm surround her, pushing her closer to him. "You're up late tonight. Come to watch the stars with me again?"

"I was worried…" She admitted but trailed off because she didn't know what exactly caused her to worry. She was caught by his eyes for a breathless moment before she moved out of his arms to sit on the roof. Gold sat next to her and she couldn't bring herself to turn to him. "Your song is different and I thought something might be upsetting you."

"My friends were attacked yesterday and I need to go to them," he told her truthfully and she saw his grip on the flute tightened. "I know this is sudden but I really need to go check on them."

"Of course," Crystal said quickly understanding why he would be angry. She didn't push him with any more questions knowing that it would only upset him and it wasn't her place to ask. She risked a glance at his tawny eyes and saw that they were clouded with thoughts. There was something different about him tonight. Instead of carefree, he looked heavy with burden.

"He's very powerful," He laid back and she had to lean over him to look into his eyes. He didn't focus on her though, distracted by his thoughts instead. "I honestly don't know if I'm going to be able to defeat him. He had the power of three- Damnit, I should really stop this habit. I keep forgetting that I can't force you to forget and you must think I'm crazy right now."

"You're thinking of going after the man that hurt your friends? I understand that you might be angry but you can't go after someone so dangerous, you're only a man after all. So don't do anything reckless."

"It's nice to have someone care," His eyes finally focused on her. She couldn't stop him before he placed a hand on her neck to pull her closer. Even though his touch was light, she couldn't move away from him. His eyes didn't spark as she saw them do so many times before as he said more sincere than she heard him before. "Thank you."

He kissed her eyes closed and sat up with his usual smile. She was so confused at his sudden change of demeanour that she couldn't answer him immediately when he asked. "Why did you open this little antic shop? You don't seem to be interested in history since you don't talk of it as much as my friend Platina."

"It pays the bills," she told him honestly. "Our grandfather left behind a lot of things and we couldn't possibly keep them all so we decided to sell the things we didn't want. I learned a lot of things about what our grandfather collected and it fascinated me. It was a challenge to collect as many as I could before selling them. Soon our home became this antic shop."

Gold nodded and saw that the sun was coming up, "Sorry for keeping you awake the entire night. I'm sure you couldn't sleep with thoughts of me."

"Actually it was the Guardian Keeper that kept me awake," She didn't want to humour his ego anymore so told a half truth that only made his smile widened. "I was reading a chapter about him when I heard your song and came to check on you. To be honest, I don't understand why someone would agree to be a Keeper when they have to have to cause so much death."

"I really wish you would just burn that book." He muttered before saying louder, "I'm sure that as accurate as it is, it can't tell you everything. Did you know that he wanted to become the Guardian Keeper because he thought he could protect people? The whole "guardian" part implies that."

"How would you know that?" She felt as if there were a hidden meaning behind his words.

"Just kidding. He's a great guy but not that deep, he since just wanted to survive." He suddenly burst into laughter and pinched her cheeks. He thought back to the Trials and felt safe speaking with her since there couldn't be any consequences. She would think that he was merely talking about the book.

"More than a hundred angels participated in the Trials, some were forced while some volunteered. It was either he fight or lose his soul so he fought and lost himself. Pitiful considering that the other Keepers didn't. One didn't even fight and she was still chosen!"

"You seem to know a lot about them." He smiled bitterly at her words but shrugged in response. He stood up and stretched his arms over her head before saying that he should be leaving to see his friends soon. "When will you be back? You will come back to fix the porch, won't you?"

"Will you miss me?" He teased but she only puffed her cheeks at him. His face was oddly serious as he said, "Silver never had a normal family like I did. Please be a friend to him and don't let him give up on Lyra. As for me coming back, I won't give anymore promises but if I survive I'll come back in three months for your soul- I mean your heart! I'll come back and make you fall in love with me."

He kissed her cheek quickly to confuse her, giving him more time to escape the awkward silence that followed his declaration. He slid down the ladder, waving bye to her as he did. She looked back to the sunset and couldn't help but think of his eyes in the colours. Thinking that, she watched him leave, wondering if she wanted him to return.

* * *

Red had finished collecting the souls needed to keep the river flowing so spent his free time walking through the forest edging the river. He hadn't returned to the place of so many memories since Yellow's death but he did so now because he knew that there was no happier place for Yellow. If she did have enough strength to escape, her soul would most likely gather somewhere in the forest.

He had walked for hours already but couldn't feel her presence over the ache in his heart. He finally stopped in front of a tree where he had first met her, saving her from a serpent. Touching where their initials were carved into the trunk caused more sweet pain than he thought it would. But like the others, he couldn't feel her lingering soul.

He refused to give up though, knowing that she was strong. She had to be alive!

Keepers' soul usually disappear into their predecessors but Yellow's soul was merely fragmented and scattered. A part containing her power was given to Silver and Red hated to think beyond collecting Yellow's soul. There had never been a similar situation before and he didn't know what would happen to Silver if he tried to take Yellow's soul back.

"I know you're out there Yellow, please give me a sign." He placed a hand on a tree trunk and searched as far as its roots would reach for any fragments of a soul but it was cold. As unreasonable as it was, he felt as if she had rejected him and sat against the tree.

He pulled out the Yellow's feather from his pocket and wondered at how it came to the museum. He couldn't believe that Yellow was the one taking the souls and attacking them even if she hated him for not being able to save her. She wasn't one for a grudge and it would break his heart if that were the case.

A butterfly landed on his nose and he gently urged it onto his fingertip so he could study it closer. His eyes flashed crimson as he stroked its delicate wings but couldn't sense anything in the bug beside the usual. Though its form wasn't unusual, its presence was since such creatures would be sent to earth immediately. How could it have escaped the angels' in charge of recycling life?

"She liked creating creatures like you," Red spoke to it softly and laughed a bittersweet laugh when its wings fluttered as if it was trying to answer him. "I'll take you to your new life. I admire creatures like you, so weak and small yet able to thrive through this cycle of life while I stay at a standstill."

* * *

Blue could feel Green's eyes on her as she wrapped her bandages. She ignored the strange rhythm her heart beat as he speed time on the bandages so they wrapped around her arm by themselves. She told Red and Gold about what happened and how they were attacked. "I honestly don't know why he's bothering to take our power when he'll never be able to kill us without being a Keeper himself."

She looked over to where the other Keepers poured the souls they collected into the river and Red gestured for them to sit so they could discuss what they would do about the angel after them. Blue let out a frustrated breath and laid back on the riverbank, letting her feet dip into the warm river.

"He has three of the Keepers' power and his own as well. I can't believe I let him defeat me like that! I was so close to defeating him if I only looked into the future a moment more to see that last attack," Blue rubbed her temple. "Even with two Keepers we couldn't defeat him."

"Well it looks like I'm next," Gold grinned despite the situation. "It's been a while since I actually got to fight! Don't worry guys, I'll defeat this guy and we'll forget this even happened. Just leave this to me."

"Don't take this so lightly!" Green told the younger Keeper who only rolled his eyes. "He defeated all three of us but just think about what will happen if he gets your power. We can't risk that so don't try to engage him in battle. Just keep a low profile until we can find his identity."

"You guys have no faith in me," Gold pouted. He looked to the other Keeper and wondered if they felt the strange family bound he did. They worked together for so long it was difficult for them not to have a bound, strained as it were. "I'll do what I feel is right and that's going to get something to eat."

"How did that guy become a Keeper again?" Green muttered as he flew after the man to keep him from doing anything rash. He didn't want to leave Blue's side but he also knew she would be safer if he could keep the man from gaining more power. He stared back to Blue who was already turning away from him and wished so many things were different.

Blue watched Green fly away before grabbing Red's sleeve. He stared down at her shock when she said, "I already searched the forest for her. The Elders will notice that you're avoiding your duties to search for her so be careful. I'm not going to lose another friend to them."

He groaned and sat next to her, "We're a couple of love sick fools, aren't we? We should be over this but here we are pinning after lost love. What do you think Yellow would say at this moment?"

Red placed a hand on his head as Yellow would do to comfort him in the past. Parting his fingers, he could see Blue staring into the river and hated that he was wallowing in his pain when he could've been helping his friend. Sitting up, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to see the two of you hurting like this. You're both my friends so I don't know who to side with."

"With me of course," Blue joked half-heartedly. She became more solemn but went on, "I trusted him and he betrayed me to the Elders. I thought he cared for me more than he feared them but I guess I was wrong."

"I've known Green for the longest time yet I've never seen him care so much for another person like he did you. During training, he asked the Elders about you and if he could check up on you so. Even if you don't believe it, I truly think he loves you. I'm sure this is as new to Green as it is to you since Keepers aren't made for love."

"You and Yellow were made for love," Blue whispered as she sat up. "I always wanted what you two had and I thought that I had that with Green. I don't know if he loves me anymore."

"You're both my friends and I want to see you both happy. I wished I could've spent more time with Yellow before I lost her and I don't want you to regret anything with Green. He obviously regrets betraying you so give him another chance."

"You ask for too much," Blue countered but wondered if there was any truth to Red's words.

* * *

"Are you awake?" Silver felt someone poke his cheek and he opened an eye slightly, wincing at the morning light. Lyra was leaning above him and for a moment his heart stopped when he thought he might've unintentionally took her soul with his powers until he saw that she was wearing the gloves Blue made her.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me?" He sighed but she smiled happily down at him. He had been sleeping on the couch when Lyra found him. After he had said goodbye to Gold, he ordered him to sleep so he could enjoy the next day with Lyra. "Do you have another article to write?"

"No but we're going out anyways," She pulled the blanket away from him. He was already sitting up when she went into the kitchen to make breakfast for them. He saw that Crystal had come out of her room, weighed down with sleep as she sat at the table. When Crystal and Silver offered to help make breakfast, Lyra merely waved them away.

"I'm going to do everything to make your next three months the best ever!" Lyra told them, not allowing them to help her by waving them away with her spatula. Crystal laughed at that and Silver couldn't stop his lips from twitching at her eccentric behaviour while making pancakes. "We're going to the zoo too so you might want to bring Emerald."

Crystal nodded as Lyra placed freshly made pancakes in front of her but saw that Silver was picking at the plate with his fork. He whispered that he had never eaten pancakes in so long which confused her but Lyra didn't seem to be worried as she took his fork and tried to feed him. "Open up then!"

"I can feed myself woman!" Silver turned his face away from his embarrassment. When she continued to poke him with the food, he turned to snap at her but she took the opportunity to put the fork into his mouth. He chewed it for a moment before grumbling, "It's too sweet."

"It's supposed to be," Lyra laughed as she sat so she could eat as well. Crystal noted that both Silver and Gold were unaccustomed to acts of kindness since Silver leaned away from Lyra when she tried to wipe the syrup from his cheek. "By the way, where's Gold?"

"I'll tell you later," Silver pushed away his plate when he was finished and stood to help put away the dishes. He saw her begin to argue but went on with washing his dish, "You cooked, so I'll clean. This is all for your sister anyways so you shouldn't care about me."

"But I do care about you," Lyra frowned at how he pulled himself away from her. "You saved my life."

* * *

"Now don't run off too far Emerald!" Crystal ordered as they entered the gates and he made a beeline for the bird cages. His eyes brightened when they naturally flocked to him until he heard the adults around him whisper about him. She placed a hand on his shoulder but his pride made him turn his face away.

"Don't baby me." Emerald told her. "Is Gold coming? He could use the force to make all of those people do silly things like in Star Wars!"

"He's not here today but I'm sure we can have fun without him!" Lyra tried to cheer up the little boy. "Let's go see the lions or go to the petting zoo! We'll take pictures with as many animals as we can and I'm sure with your talent with them it'll be easy. Don't you agree Silver?"

Silver didn't know why she bother to ask him when he knew that she would drag him away to the animals when if he argued. She hooked her arm around his and pulled him forward, dragging Crystal with her other hand. She had no idea where she was going, merely taking pictures with random animals when the whim took her.

"Do you think we can feed them?" Emerald asked once they stopped in front of the monkey cage. Crystal told him no at the same time Lyra said yes and Emerald laughed. Lyra was off, dragging Silver behind her, before Crystal could chastise her sister. She let out a sigh as Emerald tugged at her shirt. "Can I go in and play with the monkeys?"

"Of course not," Crystal wondered why he would ask such when it seem like common sense that he couldn't. Emerald made a face at her and pointed to a shaded area of the trees.

"But Gold gets to play with them!" At first Crystal couldn't believe Emerald's argument until Gold fell from the trees, stopping right in front of her face. He was grinning as he swung there, suspended by the monkey holding him.

"What are you doing in there?" Crystal demanded as Gold righted himself and leaned against the bars. No one seemed to be confused about his presence as they didn't give him a second glance. Seeing him so nonchalant, she screamed. "I thought you were going to see a friend that was attacked!"

"I did and now I'm gathering an army," He joked but knew that if there weren't bars between them she would've kicked him in anger. "Green's taking care of her and I'm sure they wouldn't want me there to interrupt them. She told me to come and the Wild Child let me in here so there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure the door back there is unlocked so you can come in too."

Emerald was running to the door before Gold even finished his sentence. Gold kept his smile while Crystal tilted a stern look up at him, "Of all the stupid things Gold! Get out from that cage and take Emerald with you before one of those animals hurts him."

"Emerald, go back to your mother hen," Gold rolled his eyes but did as she ordered. She saw Emerald stiffen before he turned and return to his side, only relaxing when Gold nodded to him and looking around confused. Gold gave a monkey a loving pat and contemplated going out of the cage to face her. He felt freer with them in a cage than walking under the eyes of the Elders.

Knowing he had to face her though, he walked out and put on his most charming smile which was his only hope in swaying her away from anger.

"What were you doing in there?" Crystal demanded with her hands on her hips. "And why did you lie to me about your friend? If you wanted a day off, you only had to ask me! To think I thought you might've been decent for a moment but you go and do something like this."

He knew that saying that he was telling her the truth and gathering an army of zoo animals to take down a rouge angel would land him in a padded room. It would be better for her to think of him as lazy than for her to think from crazy yet both was better than being a Keeper. "You're so serious I didn't know if you would. I'll understand if you fire me now."

He was already leaving as he said so since he could sense an angel's presence near him. He couldn't involve her in the battle and for more reasons than Lyra's threat. He should've known that Crystal wouldn't take that as an answer but still groaned when she ran to his side with more questions.

He needed to think of a way to escape her ice blue eyes or doom both her and the boy.

* * *

"Try some," Lyra was easily distracted by a cart full of sweets and bought a bag of cotton candy. She held out some to him and he stared blankly at it, adverse to eating fluff. She kept poking his cheek with it and he wondered why she enjoyed poking him. He relented and allowed her to slip the sweet into his mouth. Her gloved finger brushed against his lips though her eyes were filled with innocent laughter.

"We should really get back to your sister," He told her and she nodded though she made him stop for a moment. She rested her back against him and held a camera at arm's length to take a picture of them both.

"Your first time eating cotton candy," She studied the picture on the tiny screen. "I'll have it developed and you can give it to your sister. You said you don't get to see each other anymore so she might like this. Maybe in exchange for the picture, I can convince her to keep watching over my sister after my three months are up."

Her voice was quiet at the end and Silver couldn't tell her that Crystal's time would come as well. She forced a smile on her face as she placed the camera back in her bag. She took his hand and walked forward, "Too bad we couldn't find any bananas for Emerald to give the monkeys."

"We would've gotten in trouble for feeding the monkeys anyways," Silver reminded her. His sharp hearing heard the beat of angel wings above Lyra's retort and pulled her against him to hide her presence. His eyes flashed silver as he scanned the people around them and saw their souls flash before fading. He quickly searched the sky for the angel but couldn't find anyone.

He needed to find the angel but he also had to watch over Lyra and he wasn't given much time to make the decision. He sensed Gold's presence in the distance and tried to pull Lyra away to safety. She refused to move though and stared into the distance with glossed over eyes. "Are you sure it's right to be here?"

"Of course it's not safe!" Her voice sounded far away and winced at how harsh his voice sounded in contrast. She didn't hear his voice, instead watching a faraway scene play out like the painting in the museum. She felt something on her cheek, forcing her away from the scene and she stared up at Silver's troubled eyes.

"What happened?" She stared at the people falling around her. "We need to call an ambulance for them!"

"It's too late for them!" He told her as the final soul faded without a hint to where it went. The angel must've came for Gold's power and took the opportunity to steal of the souls as well.

His brows furrowed when he saw her usual white soul flash yellow before turning its pure colour again. He couldn't think too much on it since he could still hear the angel yet he couldn't see him. Silver knew that he was most likely after Gold wanted to protect his friend. He quickly explained the situation to her as he searched for Gold.

He was a little shocked to see Lyra run ahead of him and knew that she was worried for her sister. Fueled by rage, she screamed without thinking. "How dare he involve my sister? I thought I told him to leave her alone. When I get my hand on him, that angel is the least of his worries!"

* * *

**I really have no comments right now… look an elephant! It had always been my head cannon that Emerald would be like a son to Crystal and Gold**


	7. Keeping Hope

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

**Changed the title to "Gatekeeper of my Heart" because I thought it fits the story more and "Keeper of my Heart" started to sound cheesy xD**

* * *

"Wait Lyra," Silver swore at her impulsive anger as she ran much faster than he thought a human could. He was able to keep up with her and took her hand which she immediately tried to shake off thinking he was trying to stop her. "By god woman, you're going the wrong way! He's this way so let me help you. Why are all the women I know out to drive me crazy?"

Lyra ignored his comment, her mind occupied on keeping her sister out of the mess she sold her soul into. She spotted Crystal first and didn't think twice before attacking Gold, punching him square in the jaw. Silver gawked at that and couldn't stop her as she screamed at Gold.

"I told you to leave my sister out of this!" Crystal didn't understand all of what Lyra was saying but she did her best to pull Lyra away from him. She knew how blinded with rage Lyra could become and she knew the victim was never better off by the end.

Crystal noted that Lyra was breathing heavily and that her body was shaking which shouldn't be the case. She was finally able to pull Lyra away from Gold and Silver helped support Lyra as well. Gold stared up at Lyra in shock since she had always been so kind that he couldn't see her becoming enrage as she did. Her eyes flashed in rage and he quickly controlled her emotion, forcing her to calm herself.

After a moment, Lyra let out a frustrated breath and leaned against back Silver. Gold brushed away the dust from his clothes as he stood, "Someone is emotionally fueled."

"The fault is partly yours so stop blaming fate." Silver defended her and she stared up at him in shock. Gold swore beneath his breath and muttered that fate had it out for him but Crystal could still hear his words. Gold didn't make promises against fate and haven't since that day.

"Blaming fate suggests that it can be changed," Gold said through clenched teeth as he instinctively turned his glare to Emerald. Though young, he knew the anger behind it and grabbed Crystal's hand tighter, throwing back a confused glare. He thought that Gold had liked him as they watched a movie together so the sudden anger confused him.

"A feather?" Emerald focused on a golden feather drifting down some distance from them and moved away from the arguing group to pick it up. It was still warm and he wondered if a bird had escaped from its cage. He looked up to search for the feather but couldn't believe what he saw.

Sitting on a tree, was a nearly transparent woman with golden wings. Her lips moved but he couldn't hear any of the words she said. Despite the upward tilt of her smile, he could see tears rolling down her fading cheeks. She cupped her hand and a green dragon flew from them. It circled him several times before fading. The woman disappeared like the dragon right before a torrent of water poured over them.

He began to panic, trying to keep his hair from dropping. His hand brushed against a stone on his forehead but that was the least of his worries as animals sudden escaped their cage and surrounded him. His cries of protest caught his seniors' attention and when Gold ordered them to leave Emerald alone, they growled at him but still backed away from the boy.

"I knew animals liked you but this is crazy!" Crystal forced her way through the animals to take him into her arms. Gold stared in confusion as Emerald ordered them back to their cages and they obeyed with only a whimper in protest. How could his control over the animals be weaker than the boys? Why was nothing in his world normal since he met Crystal?

_I'm sorry Gold_, he heard Yellow's voice in his ears but when he turned back there was no one there and it didn't seem like anyone else notice the voice. He thought he was going crazy until he saw the feather resting on Emerald's shoulder. He took and stuffed it into his pocket but it only left him with more questions.

"We need to get out of this rain," Silver took off his jacket and threw it over Lyra's head to keep her dry since rain would only weaken her soul. He was only wearing a black t-shirt underneath and she knew he was self conscious about baring his skin due to his powers.

Crystal looked around for shelter from the rain but stopped at the sight of people littering the ground behind her. She couldn't react immediately from the shock. Once she could consciously feel herself breathing, she ran to one and checked for a pulse. "Get Emerald out of here! He doesn't need to see this. I'm calling for an ambulance for all these people."

Crystal looked over the bodies and didn't know if there would be enough ambulances for everyone there or if it would be any use. There was a sick feeling in her gut as she looked over the body and in the back of her mind she thought that it was deathly familiar to what happened at the museum.

Just as someone answered her call, Gold took the phone from her and explained the situation to them. She looked back worriedly to Emerald but the animals were blocking his views of the people and Lyra was pale as well. Crystal took in a shaky breath, mentally telling herself she needed to stay calm for them. She had to be the stubborn rock that kept them from breaking apart and stood on shaky legs.

"I'll stay and explain to them what happened. Silver you take Lyra and Emerald away and leave this to me," Crystal ordered and Lyra's brows furrowed saying that she wanted to help as well.

"I'll deal with the police. If you show up at more than one of these things, you'll become a suspect," Gold whispered to her. She knew that he was referring to the museum and that made her worry all the more. She tightened her hand into fist and refused to leave before she knew exactly what had happened so she could protect Lyra if the event repeated itself.

She remembered Gold's scars and wondered if he had any connection to the bodies. Something lay heavy in her heart thinking that she could've put her sister into danger. It hit her then that she didn't know much about the two men and had blindly followed Lyra's trust. She looked back to Gold who tried to smile reassuringly at her, most likely thinking her worried about the bodies.

"Who are you?" She asked him when she saw Silver pulling Lyra away to a safe distance. Emerald was with them too so she didn't have to worry about them hearing them. He stared at her in shock and when she would've asked him again, rain poured over them harder until it turned to hail.

Gold swore and took her in his arms to protect her from the hail. He knew from the glowing flame within the ice that they were made from artificial souls. This was no time for a fight! Silver seemed to notice as well for he whispered something to Lyra and they ran back to them. Lyra tried to pull Crystal away. "It's not safe here, we need to go now!"

"Why not stay?" A dark voice asked and Gold was quick to push Crystal behind him. Too late he realized that she must think his action crazy since she couldn't possibly see the angel. Gold clenched his teeth as the cloaked angel flew down from the sky. "Defeating two Keepers proved to be easy, so I'm sure I can do so again. Then I'll take her soul for my collection."

"I guess there's no choice but to fight," He took his hat and pulled it over Crystal's eyes so she wouldn't see him transform. He knew that he only needed to look into the man's eyes or touch his soul long enough to make a connection to his soul to be able to control him. "You chose the wrong Keeper to fight."

Crystal felt a strong wind around her, blowing away the hat Gold suddenly pulled over her eyes. She stared wide eyes at the sight of Gold before her. He had metallic wings and wore armour found in ancient Greek art. She looked beyond him to the man surrounded in fire and she could barely feel Lyra trying to pull her away. "What are you Gold?"

"You can see us?" Gold turned back to her at the question in shock.

Distracted for a moment, he could barely dodge the lightning the angel sent towards him. Swearing, he commanded the other animals to counter. Birds of all sizes blocked the angel from flying away and a rhino rampaged into him as well. "Get Crystal out of here! I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

"Come on Crystal!" Lyra tried to pull Crystal out of her shock. Crystal spotted Emerald struggling to make his way through the animals to her. She shook off Lyra hand and ran to the boy. She might not understand the situation but she needed to protect the boy. Surely he must've been more confused than her and she couldn't let him down.

"Humans!" Silver spit out the bitter word as if it were a curse and pulled off his glove to fight as well. Lyra went to the fence and kicked one of the bars free after several attempts to use as a weapon. She would worry about how to explain this to her sister later for she needed to help defeat this man first.

"Two Keepers and three mere humans will not be enough," The angel laughed and Gold took it as a challenge. He quickly took in the entire battle field now that most of the animals had escaped their cage. They always looked towards Emerald before they followed his order and that hesitation could be the moment between success and defeat.

"Emerald, you need to command the animals to fight! They won't listen to me but they will you," Gold screamed to the child. Crystal saw his eyes flash as he ordered Emerald. Gold didn't say anything else to Emerald but he seemed to understand what to do since he quickly gave orders to the animals to attack the stranger. She bit her lips, feeling useless without a way to fight.

"Don't get in the way!" Silver tried to stop Lyra from fighting as well but she merely ignored him. The angel laughed when she brought down the bar at his feet and she clenched her teeth, bringing it up sharply to blow sand into his eyes.

"Bitch," He swore and couldn't open his eyes without hurting himself. He reached out blindly and tried to grab her hair to see the future. The hat blocked him though and Lyra brought her bar, catching him on the chin. "Time was!"

He was barely able to reverse the condition of his eyes before a tiger tried to swipe at him. He had the power of three Keepers so it shouldn't have been so difficult to defeat pests! But he needed the power of all the Keepers to complete his plan and he refused to fail after everything he saw so caused fire to erupt around them such that she couldn't possibly dodge the flames.

Silver was beside her in an instant and placed his hand inside the fire to steal their life force. It was difficult to fight with the animals' random attacks blocking him and he had to be cautious of touching Lyra.

"I've got you now!" The angel barely had time to react before he realized that Gold had made his way behind him and grabbed onto his shoulder. He quickly made ice that strike out of his back to stab Gold in his shoulder and tried to fly to escape. Gold refused to let go though and just barely touched his soul before he was thrown to the ground.

"I am done playing! Time is!" The angel finally snapped and everyone felt their body stiffen. Through Keeper's eyes, Gold could see that the man was losing control of his powers and could very well doom himself. Lightning erupted from the sky around them and he couldn't move to dodge them. The lightning sent him tumbling to the ground and into Emerald who couldn't move either.

Gold groaned in pain and could only move slightly against the angel's stolen power. Everyone else was affected as well so they couldn't help him if they wanted to. The angel was panting but knew that he had won as he grabbed Gold's neck. Gold clenched his teeth at the pain he felt his energy being stolen.

"Your eyes remind me of her," The angel snarled, pushing Gold away and raised whips of water to attack him. With the little energy Gold had left he tried to protect the boy. "After I'm through with you, I'll take his soul too."

"Stop!" Crystal effortlessly came between the two and the water fell to the ground, losing their powers. Gold felt the power of the angel disappear and time moved freely once again. It didn't seem like the angel cancelled his own powers and Gold could only stare questioningly at Crystal as she dropkicked the man. Every time the angel tried to summon an attack, it failed just as Gold's power did around her.

"Damn this!" The angel struck Crystal such that she hit the ground hard, knocking her out. He them flew back to put some distance between them and swore to the sky. "You think you outwitted me Yellow? I'll kill every one of them!"

With those words, shadows surrounded him until he disappeared into the ground.

* * *

"We can tell her it was all a dream," Lyra thought on their way home from the zoo, leaving Red behind to explain the bodies to the police. Gold carried Crystal on his back and pulled along Emerald, who walked as if in a trance, with his other hand. "Tell her we slept in and missed going to the zoo."

Gold wasn't listening to the two planned an explanation, his thoughts more concerned with Crystal and how she was able to nullified the angel's power. Was that the reason his mind control didn't work on her? He had heard Yellow's voice before the battle and with the angel mentioning Yellow, there was the possibility that she was still alive against all odds.

"Who gave you that gem?" Gold asked the boy and he answered that it was an amber angel with her green dragon. "You are not to use your powers anymore for your own protection or tell Crys of what happened. Forget what you saw and did this morning."

"Yes," He nodded in a trance.

"Don't worry, I'll explain it to her. Emerald you should return home as well," Gold ordered as they reached the house. Lyra threw back an angry glare at him, obviously disliking the idea.

"I don't want a repeat of today," Lyra shook with anger and tried to take her sister back from him. This was her reality now but she wouldn't bring her sister into it as well. Knowing she would die soon would only hurt her. "If you care for my sister, you'll leave us alone!"

"If only someone could've told me that with Arthur," Gold snapped at her and his eyes glowed gold as he compelled her to let him pass into the house. "But it seems like I am a fool to repeat my mistakes. I'll protect her so you don't have to worry. Fate is a cruel bitch so you should become accustom to it."

"Gold!" Silver chased after his friend but Gold was already through the door. Silver knew Gold wasn't one for harsh words and that caring for humans had almost caused Gold to fall from grace. But that was no way to speak to Lyra who was running high on emotions as well.

Gold gently placed Crystal on her bed once he reached her room and pressed his forehead against the bed post, the cool wood calming him. He brushed his hand over the large bump on the back of her head which could only cause more questions. He tried to make a connection with any lingering souls, "C'mon Yellow, help me out here. You should be able to heal her."

Nothing happened and he let out a sigh. Even if Yellow was still lingering, he didn't know if Crystal would respond to her power as she did his. It was his turn to ask, "What are you?"

His eyes drifted to the book sitting on her bedside table and flipped over to the pages referring to the Elders gifting the Keepers with their power. He remembered the ceremony vaguely since it was short where he would merely stand in a magic circle as the Elder cast the spell. Could anyone learn the spell or was it just the elders?

Crystal let out a soft sound and he gently placed a hand over the bump on her head. "You okay there SuperSerious Gal? You took a rather nasty fall."

"Fall?" She repeated and groaned in the pain she felt throbbing through her. "Where's Emerald? The angel and the animals… Why are you still here? I thought you had to go to your friend."

"That must've been some dream you had," Gold chuckled. "You fell when climbing down from the roof and I couldn't very well just leave you when you were hurt during our moonlight getaway. Since you're all better now, I guess I should go and check up on my friend. If you need anything, just call for me."

As Gold was about to leave, Crystal grabbed his sleeve. "Will you ever tell me the truth about what happened back at the zoo? Who was that man?"

"It was just a dream," Gold repeated but couldn't bring himself to leave so sat on the bed against his better judgement. He was a man to follow his heart's logic and knew like other times, he would put himself into trouble. "I should be going to let you sleep. If I stay, there's no way I'll let you get any rest."

Gold tried to distract her from the dream so went to get his flute, hoping to play a song to lull her to sleep. He wouldn't fail another human like he did that child so long ago. Crystal watched him leave but knew that he was lying to her. She was determined to get answers from Lyra who she knew wouldn't lie to her.

* * *

"I'm starting to hate his power." Lyra sat on the couch, unable to move from the couch because of Gold. Frustrated, she lay back down and rested her head on Silver's lap. He didn't know how to react so merely stared down at her. Her eyes were closed and her hat had fallen off, leaving her short hair to cascade over his legs. He knew she must've been tired after everything and even though he felt awkward, he couldn't bring himself to move her.

He moved a glove hand over her to brush away the hair from her eyes. With her breath warm against his leg and her flushed cheeks, he couldn't believe that she was a corpse. Her fluttering soul reminded him that she would return to being a job in the end.

She turned on his lap and he could read her eyes before her lips even parted. He knew that she was worried about her sister and he worried about his own too. "Why aren't you being selfish? When people beg for their lives, they will say things like 'there's so much I still want to do' but you thought about your sister. If you were selfish, what would you wish to do with your last day?"

Lyra thought for a moment before answering, "I never finished of any my novels. I always start them but I can never seem to be able to finish them. I would like to have one of my novels published, just to leave something behind. That must sound stupid since you probably think that trying to do that is useless. But what would you do?"

"I never considered that since I cannot die. But it seems like none of us think of death without prompt," Silver shrugged but her eyes compelled him to think of an answer. What was it about her that made him want to open himself up to her? "I would want to go somewhere warm, surrounded by the bright rays of the sun and the sound of laughter everywhere just like his house is."

"That's nice," Lyra smiled even though she didn't know who he was referring to. She closed her eyes, exhaustion from the battle finally catching up to her. "Maybe we can go there together. I'm sure Crystal would like that as well so everyone wins."

"There is no place like that," He whispered even though she was already on the edge of asleep. "Reality bites, doesn't it? In the end, it's all the same. It's a Keeper's destiny to live in darkness…"

"I've never seen you open yourself up like that," Silver jumped at his sister's voice and turned to see her climb through the window with a wide grin on her face. Her feet didn't touch the ground as she hovered over his shoulder and looked down at the tiny woman. "I'm so glad I came to check up on you."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Blue," Green came beside her. "We're already breaking one rule so you shouldn't be breaking another by encouraging your brother to fall in love with a human. We're here to check up on you and Gold. Did anything happen during the battle that gives us any clues to who the angel could be?"

Lyra hand tightened on Silver's pants, silently telling him to leave out any information about her sister and Emerald. Silver placed a hand over hers, "He can't control all the power he's stolen so that makes him more dangerous than we first thought."

"Well I'm just glad that you're not hurt," Blue hugged her brother and looked back to the battle through his past. She felt as if he were hiding something from her which was a first since they were so close. She nodded to Red who entered through the window as well. "Now where's Gold, we have some questions for him as well."

"I'm right here," Gold walked in, rubbing the back of his head and pulled out the feather from his pocket. Lyra sat up, fearful that the subject would anger Red like before and cause him to destroy her home. Red took the feather more sure that Yellow was still alive at the sight. "Emerald told me that he saw an amber angel, sounds like Straw-hat Girl to me."

"We need to talk to this boy," Red said quickly. Gold was quick to stop him by saying.

"I already compelled him to tell me everything so there's no point. He had the powers to control animals and from what he said, it seems like she gave him the power. I don't know why she did or how but the kid has the power of a Keeper now."

"That's impossible!" Green denied. To their knowledge, only the Elders had the power to grant someone the power of the Keeper. Details of the spell were limited and he was hesitant to ask the Elders since he knew that they wouldn't give him much information. Swearing beneath his breath, he headed to the door. "I'm going to consult the Elders about this."

"There you go, running off to them before we're finished. We need to discuss what happened to Yellow!" Blue muttered but he had already had his wings spread, ready to leave. At her voice, he hesitated but pulled them back into his body which surprised her. Why didn't he just leave?

"It must be some other angel. As you already said, her soul was weak so there's little chance she'll have the power to do what Gold claimed. And if she was giving humans powers, we can only guess the reason is to help the angel. I don't want to think Yellow hates us enough to work with that angel but there's no other way we can look at it."

"We were friends even before the Trials so why do you trust the Elders more than her? We don't know what the angel wants or even if Yellow is truly working with him! You're my friend and I don't want to fight with you anymore. But once I find Yellow, I want you to apologize to her."

"I have a lot to apologize for, it seems." He lost his friend due to his fear of the Elders and didn't intend to repeat that mistake. He realized that it wasn't Blue but Red as well. The man was so easy to laugh before but now he couldn't remember the last time he laughed though he tried to forge it.

His eyes met Blue's and he waited for her to say something but she merely took his sleeve. "I'll go with you to see the Elders. I have some questions I want to ask them something anyways. Knowing you, you'll probably chicken out of asking them so you'll need me there."

* * *

"Keeping and losing hope…" the woman watched the Keepers in a tree, longing to join them but knowing she couldn't. A butterfly landed on her finger and she added her own waning power into it again. "I don't want to see them win but I want to protect the ones I love too. Until then, I can only wait."

* * *

**Plot progression chapter and rule of three will probably not apply in this fic. With how suckish the fights are, I don't know if I should've went with the original idea for this fic XD. I really need more shipping moments in here and I'm dying to write my special babies again. **


	8. Images in Ice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

Blue watched Green as they stood in front of the Elders, trying to read their thoughts. She wanted to merely touch the emerald on her bracelet but found herself clutching it in raging emotion. This would be the first time Green spoke against the Elders directly and she could only guess at how they would react. She kept her eyes closed so they couldn't see her eyes glowed as she used her powers.

"Requesting information isn't too much to ask for," Green argued when the Elders promptly refused to tell him how a Keeper's power was created. "We are fighting someone that already knows how to create this power. If we know how he is able to do so we'll be in a better position to defeat him or at least take away his power. Be reasonable!"

"We are!" They yelled back and Green flinched when the ground in front of him exploded but Blue pulled him back in time. "If we give you that information you may be able to rebel against us. You don't need to know that information to perform your duty. Now leave us Time Keeper."

"I won't leave until you tell us about the ritual," Green found himself turning away from the Elders as he said the words. He could sense their anger though and prepared himself for it. Bowing, he tried to reason with them. "This could be the beginning of another rebellion and we cannot possible fight an army of angels with the power of a Keeper."

"Do you think that this will lead to larger problem?" One of the Elders asked with a sigh and Green nodded. The Elders discussed among themselves and the two waited for their answer. One nodded opened a door to the library and went to get the book keepers that detailed the ritual but came back in a rage.

"It's gone!" He turned accusing eyes to pair and Green stood in front of Blue to protect her. He knew that only someone the rank of a Keeper or higher could enter the library so they would be obvious suspects. Trying to reach their logic again, Green argued that they were not at fault since they were ignorant to how the powers were given. "Then who is at fault?"

"I don't know," Was the worst answer Green could give but it was the only answer he had. Blue's hand tightened on Green's and it pained him now that the only moments he had with her were marred by their current situation. "We have been nothing but loyal to you so you have no reason to question us! Give us the chance to capture the real culprit."

"We could always trust you, can't we Green. But to make sure that you don't betray us I'll have you remember what happened to the last Keeper. We wouldn't want that to happen to you, do we now?" The Elder addressed Green but tilted a look to Blue as he said so. She clenched her teeth to keep herself from the emotion swelling up inside her.

Green noticed her raging emotion and knew that she was close to losing her usual demeanour so opened a door for them to leave, bowing to the Elders before he left. He let Blue drag him through the door, exiting to an alley of a busy marketplace. There was no one around to see them and Blue fumed, "I hate them! How dare they bring Yellow up like that? As if she was nothing more than another Keeper!"

"Because that's what we are to them," Green reminded her but that didn't help dowse her anger.

Green gently took her hand and pressed it against his chest. "Will you stop screaming like that? You'll only anger them more if you continue to defy them. If you want to lash out, do so against me! I give you full permission to use my body until you've calmed yourself enough."

Blue clenched her fist and Green was surprised at the power in her punch that landed square in his chest but mostly because he knew that she was much more power. He didn't allow himself to think on it too much as he might too see too much into it with the hope he held.

She continued to jab at him until he could see her body shake before her fist completely missed his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck instead. He didn't predict the hug but his arms came around hers instinctively from the need to hold and protect her again. It was a struggle to keep her steady against the angry and regretful tears that shook her.

Green pressed his lips to the top of her head, knowing that actions resonated stronger to her than any promises he could make. He didn't even know the words to say that would give his feelings or Blue justice. Admitting weakness was a difficult for them both so the thought of pushing her didn't even cross his mind, content to just hold her as he used to.

"I really hate you, you know?" Her voice was flat, not portraying the mixed emotions she felt of being in his arms again. Luckily he didn't say a word as she stepped back, her hands went to the gems on her wrist by instinct. She thought it would be better to not address the issue and walked past him, "We should go, I want to check up on Silver."

Green nodded as he matched his steps to hers though he had other things on his mind. Whoever had the book was most likely behind everything. He hated to remind her that the Elders forbid her to see her brother because he knew that she remembered but was planning to ignore them. He took her hand as they passed a stand of jewelry. Maybe he could distract her until the Keepers had their meeting.

"You will like these earrings. They're waterstones I think," He held out a pair at random to her. She couldn't help but laugh as she placed the earrings back on the table. She could easily tell a fake from her experience with selling faux gems herself though those times seemed like a lifetime ago now.

"They're firestones," she easily saw through his actions. "You're not one for transparent gifts Green so don't even try. How did you get me to fall in love with you back then? Anyways, I just want to check up on him which will only take a moment. If I happen to walk by him and speak to Lyra, they shouldn't be too angry about that. Come on Greenie, you would always follow me in the past."

Green could go without hearing the name ever again but it was nostalgic to hear it now. She was already flying off and he couldn't help but follow her.

* * *

Silver was oddly quiet as he and Lyra walked down the street. He was often quiet but now there was a restlessness emitting from him that she didn't feel before. It gave her an odd feeling seeing him beside his composed self and she would rather have him smile if he showed any emotion.

Silver almost fell back when Lyra sudden pulled on his shoulder, forcing him to bend closer to her as she pulled her large Mario hat over his head. His thoughts were still scattered from the sudden movement that he couldn't tell what was happening before there was a flash that couldn't rival the brightness of Lyra's smile. She held a camera and teasingly grinned at him before putting it away in her bag.

"I was thinking of going this shop I know after we have these pictures developed. I want to get the materials to make a scrapbook. I haven't made one since I was in highschool but I hope that it turns out alright. What picture do you think is best to use for the cover?"

She held the camera to him as they continued down the sidewalk. He had to guide her through the crowd as they walked since her attention was on the camera. She frowned when they came across a photo of them at the zoo, "It's a shame that we can't use this."

"It can't be helped. If she sees those pictures she'll know that yesterday wasn't a dream."

"I know that but it's just a shame to delete this picture. Crystal and Emerald looks so happy…"

Silver pondered how she hesitated over deleting a photo yet he didn't hesitate to take her soul until she touched long buried emotions. She didn't delete them though and just looked at the other photos she had taken. "I hope that there are enough pictures but I just feel like something's missing."

"There isn't one of you alone," Sliver noted and she tapped her chin. With a wide smile, she changed their course to the nearby park, shoving the camera into his hand as she sat on the swing. She urged him to take a picture and he frowned down at it. He had become accustomed to human technology over the year but never had to use a camera before.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to use it," Lyra pure laugh made him flustered as he quickly hid the fact. He had seen her use the thing many times before and she merely pressed a button so it shouldn't be too difficult. She sat back on the swing, "How do I look?"

He already took the picture though as she was fixing her hat. He was confused when she didn't take the camera back immediately, puffing her cheek at him as if it was enough to tell him his blunder. "I wasn't ready and I'm sure that it came out blurry. Let me show you."

She didn't say anything about his ignorance towards the camera, showing him how to use the camera's features with enthusiasm. With her wide gestures, he could believe that she was describing the inventions of a lifetime instead of a simple camera. "Now let's try that again!"

She ran back to the swing but he took the picture the moment she turned to him with a wide smile instead of waiting for her to sit. He walked to stand next to her and held the camera to her. "That should be good enough. I would be best to have a picture of you being natural than posed on a swing."

Lyra couldn't believe how well the photo came out. She was half turned to the camera and the image wasn't blurred either. He didn't seem to think much of the photo as he scanned the park but she wanted to thank him. The only problem was that she didn't know how. "Maybe we can come back to the park with our sisters and take more pictures. We never set a date for that picnic I was planning to have."

"I don't know if my sister will be able to make it," Silver knew that there was very little possibility of them enjoying a picnic but couldn't help but feel tempted. "We should go and get these pictures developed. With all these detours I see you take, I don't know how you're able to get anything done."

"Not the first time someone asked me that," Lyra laughed remembering her coworkers saying just that. It hurt thinking of all the articles she wouldn't be able to write but reminded herself that she shouldn't be selfish and to focus on her sister instead. She sat on the swing and contemplated taking more pictures.

Suddenly the swing started to move back and forth violently and Lyra clung to the chains to keep balance, her camera dropping out of sight. Silver had to take a step back or be hit by the swing and worried its abrupt movement. The swing reached high into the sky and Lyra knew she couldn't properly stop it since it was moving so fast.

"Move back Silver, I'm going to jump!" She called out and Silver was sure that she was crazy since she didn't give him any time to answer before she jumped off the swing while it was still moving. He moved to catch her but felt a force stop his body from moving as Lyra crashed into his chest and they stumbled to the ground. It wasn't painful for him but he wasn't sure how the impact would affect a human.

He sat up, careful of Lyra in case she was injured and worried over her shaking shoulders. His brow twitched when she raised her face to his and saw that she was in fact laughing. Silver thought that she had finally gone crazy from the stress of their situation. Her hat had flown off at some point but was now lying beside them. He pulled it over her eyes but she was still laughing.

"Are you okay Lyra?" He was beginning to worry about her until she wiped the tear her laughter teased into her eyes. She forced herself to stop laughing but once her eyes caught Silver's they both burst out laughing to dispel the fear their felt only a moment before.

"That was actually kinda fun," She admitted that she had always been one for rollercoasters and didn't question the swing's sudden movement at the moment. "I didn't expect you to actually catch me though."

"Never again," Silver mutter as he went to pick up the camera that had fallen during the swing. It wasn't damaged and was carefully placed on the ground. He looked at the picture on the screen, recognizing himself and Lyra. Going through the pictures, he found one of Blue with her tongue stuck out and he smiled at the sight. He had the most frustrating and loving sister in the world.

"Let's go develop these pictures," He said in his usual tone but Lyra noted that he had a smile on his face as he spoke. He kept the camera to himself as they walked and she admired the smile he had on his lips. She wondered if he would smile like that again so she could take a picture of it. With that in mind, she walked next to him.

* * *

"What do you think will happen now?" Red asked Silver as they sat on the roof. Gold hated to think of the man going after his best friend but they needed to discuss what they should do next. "There's not much he can do when Silver only holds half of the Dark Keeper's power and the rest of it is currently scattered around who knows where."

"Why bother taking our powers in the first place?" Gold laid back and watched the clouds moving above. "If he comes back, don't look him in the eyes. As long as you don't look him in the eyes, he won't be able to manipulate you. It'll take a while for him to be able to fully control my power so that should buy us some time. Not the best option but the only option we have."

Gold considered telling them about how Crystal was able to neglect the power of a Keeper but push away the thought since he knew that the Elders would use her as a weapon, or in her case a shield. He noticed Red's gaze following something that wasn't there. He suddenly took off and Gold called after him but stopped when he heard laughter, frighteningly similar to Yellow's.

"Was that Yellow?" Gold turned to Silver to confirm that he wasn't imagining things but Silver was in awe as well. They were about to follow Red but stopped when they heard Crystal calling and Silver felt a chill in his heart at the absence of Lyra's voice.

Red continued to follow the crystal clear image of Yellow walking briskly away from him. Her pace appeared slow yet he was unable to catch up with her. He called out her name as he placed a barrier around them so no one could see them. She kept on walking though, moving past his barrier. He tried to see her through Keeper's eyes but she faded from his vision when he did so.

"Yellow please!" He begged one last time and she stopped, turning to him with tearful eyes. He stumbled to a stop in front of her, so close that his toes almost touched hers. She stood in front of him, wordless as he was and he didn't know how to react now that she was standing in front of him. His hand shook as he raised his fingers to her cheek, afraid of what would happen.

As he feared, brushing his fingers over her cheek was like running his fingers through an icy flame, passing through but leaving him cold. He caught a tear on his finger that was so cold that it left ice trailing over his skin. But her amber eyes were so familiar he couldn't help but fall looking into them.

He didn't say a word as he pulled her closer, never taking his eyes from her so didn't see the telling signs of her bittersweet smile. Just holding onto her familiar body was enough to break down his defences as he whispered apologies to her as well as renewed promises. He opened his heart to her just as he felt something try to pull him back.

The faulting feeling of someone pulling on his arm became more intense and he saw a butterfly on his arm. A hand turned him back to look at the Yellow standing before him. The amber in her eyes changed to a clouded white but her smiled was still bitter, "You must've loved her very much."

Red's heart dropped as he felt ice crawl up his body but the biting pain was nothing compared to the pain he felt seeing Yellow step away from him. Her skin became transparent until she was nothing more than an ice doll before him. He couldn't complete a thought before he was encased in ice.

He still had controlled of his senses though and could see a man and a woman stepped out from the shadows. He clenched his teeth against the bitter cold that he couldn't burn with his rage. They barely gave him second look as they mocked. The woman laughed, "Who knew that tricking a Keeper could be so easy? He flaunts his weakness like a target over his heart."

"They are just like us, only more pitiful," the other snarled at Red but stopped the woman when she took out another ice doll that fit in her hand. "We can't kill him yet until we get the last Keeper's soul. With that and the rest of Yellow's soul we can make me a Keeper. No one will be able to defeat us then."

* * *

Crystal made sure that Silver and Gold weren't in the house before she went to talk to Lyra earlier that night. Lyra was at her laptop, typing out an article when Crystal found her in the living room. Thinking that it would be best to not dance around the topic, Crystal sat across her sister. "I want to talk to you about Silver and Gold."

"What about them?" Lyra tried to keep her voice from giving away her panic as she replied.

"What do you really know about them?" Crystal asked and watched her sister struggle for an answer as she fired more questions at them. "I know you like to see the good in people but I don't think this is a good idea anymore. I let them stay here because I trust your opinion on them but now I'm not so sure about them. We need to tell them to leave."

"We can't do that!" Lyra argued remembering that the Keepers only let her leave if Silver watched over her to make sure that she didn't try to run from her fate. What Crystal said was logical and Lyra couldn't think of any arguments as hard as she tried.

"I trust Silver and they haven't done anything bad so far-"

"So far," Crystal tried to keep her frustration from her voice since she didn't want to hurt her sister who trusted easily. "But Silver never talks about himself and Gold obviously has his problems by the way he treats Emerald. I can always hire someone to fix the porch. I would rather have you safe than money."

"Please just forget about it!" Lyra echoed the words Gold had told her the previous night.

"Then there's that 'dream' he keeps insisting didn't happen which I don't know if I should believe him or not. Tell me the truth, what's going on Lyra?" Crystal begged. She wasn't going to bring up the dream at first but now the question plagued her sanity. "I'm not stupid Lyra and I know something isn't right!"

At Crystal's words, the mysterious book lying on the table burst open. The pages turned frantically and Crystal could believe that she was now a character in some strange movie. It stopped on a page detailing the Dark Keeper but instead of the man she saw before, it was of a woman holding a butterfly. Her lips moved but Crystal couldn't make out the words, too in shock to do so.

Lyra's voice echoed her words though, "_I'm sorry that I forced you into this but I want to protect my friends in any way I can. I don't like to fight but I will do so if it means that they can live. There had been so many battles already and I want this to be the last_."

"Lyra!" Crystal screamed when she suddenly collapsed onto the ground. She rushed to check on her sister but couldn't find a pulse despite the fact that Lyra's body was still warm. Quickly taking the phone, she tried to call for an ambulance for her sister. She would question what happened after she made sure her sister was healthy and safe.

Gold took the phone from her before she could make the call though just as Silver knelt next to Lyra, taking her into his arms. His eyes glowed silver and black wings burst from his body, blocking her from Crystal's sight.

"Stop! Don't hurt her, you monster!" Crystal pushed away Gold and tried to push away Silver's wings to get to her sister. Silver saw that Crystal's soul flashed amber just as he felt his power fade. He looked back to Lyra and her soul was waning.

"You're going to kill her!" Silver shouted and Crystal stopped but only for a moment before continuing saying that he was the one hurting Lyra. She turned to Gold for assistance but saw that he also had golden wings and was trying to pull her away. "You're going to snuff out her soul!"

"You're the Keeper from the book aren't you?" She accused them but still didn't stop her attack. Adrenaline was rushing through her as she kicked Gold to loosen his grip on her. Once free of his hold, she pulled at Lyra again.

"It's okay Crystal," Lyra's soft voice made Crystal stop and Silver moved his wing to reveal Lyra struggle to stand so she could calm Crystal. Silver felt the grip over his heart loosened when he saw her soul burn more brightly. He hadn't wished for the other half of his power, to be able to give life, than he did when he flew into the window to see Lyra's soul fading. He couldn't say why though and didn't want the answer either since he knew the answer wouldn't benefit anyone.

"You're the Keepers!" Crystal screamed and hated that she was running to her panic. The faded pictures became clearer in her head as she stared at Silver, his wings around Lyra as if they were there to protect her. She turned back to Gold and saw that he also had wings like he did at the zoo.

"We will after you call down for a moment," Gold promised when Silver nodded to him. It seemed that things would only become more complicated from him.

* * *

Red was slowly losing consciousness and wondered how long he would be stuck in ice. He couldn't die so what would happen in the future was up in the air for him. Could he be freed once the other Keepers found him? How would he explain what happened to the other Keepers? Those questions and more raced through his mind since he had nothing left to do but question.

He didn't want to think of the ice doll of Yellow but forced himself to since he knew that he owed it to his friends to solve the mystery. The heartbreak he felt didn't allow him to think clearly as he blamed himself for falling for their trick and hated that they used his love for Yellow to trap him. Would they do the same to trick his friends into a similar trap?

He felt his body became warm and the ice slowly began to melt but he barely had the energy to break free even after the ice became thin enough for him to do so. He thought hypothermia had finally come over him when he saw the faltering image of Yellow appear before him. A butterfly was hovering over her shoulder and the flapping of its wings seemed to put him in a trance.

"Yellow," He tried to call out to her in a raw voice and her lips moved in response. Though there was no physical sound, he could still hear her voice ring through his heart.

"_I've been looking for you everywhere Red. Pika helped me find you. I love you and I know that you'll always keep your promises. This time is no different so I know you'll come back for me and I'll meet you halfway. I'm so glad that we can have this moment with you and there's so much I need to tell you. I don't want them to win so I-"_

She began to fade and he could see that she was desperate to continue past the ice wall forming between them. She finally faded before him, her words drowned out by Green's voice calling to him from the distance behind him.

* * *

**A shipping chapter for all of you XD then suddenly slap you with plot progression**


	9. Fighting Fate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

Red could still feel the biting cold of the ice even as Blue wrapped a blanket around him. Green was working on returning Red's body temperature to normal as well so he could be strong enough to use his own power. Red was shaking but managed to create a fire to help as well.

Blue didn't push for an answer since she knew that Red wouldn't be able to say anything past his chattering teethes. Red quickly closed his hand to snuff out the fire he created when a butterfly came too close to it. He stared at in confusion as it landed on his shoulder and he could feel little sparks emit from the tiny creature. It was familiar and he couldn't place where he saw it.

After Green saw that Red was well enough, he asked Red what happened for him to be trapped in ice. Red's eyes filled with guilt as he explained how he was lured into a trap and how he saw Yellow afterwards. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"There are more of them." Green groaned and sat next to Red. "If he had an army, why was he attacking us on his own? I don't understand why he's bothering with such elaborate plans when there seem to be no motivation to his actions."

"He wants us dead and he has a way to become a Keeper but I don't know why," Red thought back to the man's words and his hands tightened into fists. "He has the rest of Yellow's soul and with that he'll be able to make himself a Keeper. All he needs is to take Silver's soul now."

Green turned sharply to Blue and saw the anger in her eyes. He knew that there was no end to her anger if one threatened her family so placed his hand over hers in a silent plea for her to control her emotions. She let out a frustrated breath and tried to think of a way to think to keep her family safe. She thought back to Yellow's quiet strength and looked back to Red, "What do you think she's planning?"

"She left before she could finish," Red forced the words past his chattering teethes and raw lump in his throat. "But I know that she's on our side. She said that she didn't want them to win and I know she's talking about the angel that's after us."

"I don't know if we can trust that was Yellow though," Green reminded them. "That angel was able to make a doll of Yellow to fool you so she could very well do the same thing twice. This might be a trap to distract us from trying to find their identities."

"This only makes me want to find them more," Red's hand became fists. "If they do have parts of Yellow's soul, I need to save her. I don't know what we did to him but I refuse to let him win and become a Keeper. I already failed her once and fate wouldn't want me to do so twice."

"What happened wasn't your fault." Blue reminded him, knowing how guilt could eat away at a person until nothing but bitterness and self hatred. She still felt the same guilt over not being able to save Yellow. "But we'll be able to save her, I'm sure."

Red nodded though he had to admit that he was still doubtful over the uncertainty of what would happen once they collect all of the fragments of Yellow's soul. He heard Gold's voice in his head, calling for them to return to their home and Red groaned. "We cannot catch a break, can we?"

* * *

Gold was worried over Crystal who sat on the couch in shock, barely able to speak the words he knew she was trying to force out after they were finished their explanation and he knew having the other Keeper there as well wasn't helping. At least she had some previous knowledge of them so it wasn't a complete shock to her. Lyra didn't know what to say to her sister either so only sat next to her sister.

"It seems like you broke the conditions of our promise," Green stated and Lyra saw his eyes begin to glow. She knew that he was going to take her soul but what surprised her was Silver stepping in front of her. She couldn't see his face but saw his shoulders tighten before he stepped back, apologizing quietly.

"Lyra wasn't the one to tell her, it was us. We didn't have a choice," Silver defended. "We were attacked and Gold couldn't use his power on her to force her to forget. What else was we supposed to do?"

Green sighed since he didn't have an answer either. He looked back to the woman in question, and saw her clutching a book on her lap with shaking hands. "This is real? You're all the Keepers from this book and Lyra's going to die…"

"Technically she's already dead and is a corpse now," Green corrected her and Blue threw him a glare at his tactlessness. Gold could sense her confusion and wrapped his wing around her in comfort. The warmth was so familiar and she knew that it wasn't the first time she felt it and her hand tightened on the book. How long had they she been ignorant of her sister?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Crystal couldn't help but yell her question at Lyra who shanked away, not wanting to answer her sister. Lyra bit down on her lower lips to keep her feelings of guilt and relief from bursting. She felt guilt over keeping secrets from her sister but also relief that she didn't have to lie to her sister anymore. "You let these monsters into our home and lie to me?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Lyra shouted back. "What would you do in my situation?"

"I definitely wouldn't be planning picnics or trips to the zoo!" Lyra flinched as if she had been slapped but Crystal went on with tears in her eyes. "Don't you think that I deserve to know what's going to happen to my sister? I can't believe this is happening to us…"

"I didn't want this to happen." Lyra hugged her sister, who still couldn't believe that she was dead since her body was still warm. Lyra felt someone's hand on her shoulder and saw that it was Blue looking down at her with sympathetic eyes.

"She did this for you, foolish as her actions were." Silver knew Lyra's feelings since she had spoken to him often about her problems. "She wanted to see you happy before fate took their hand. I haven't been a Keeper long, a mere century but I've seen how painful losing a love one could be and she wanted to make the transition as easy for you as possible."

"By lying to me?" Crystal couldn't think beyond the fact that her sister was dead and had lied to her. She still couldn't believe the character from the book she brought on her travels were real. The facts made her sick to her stomach and she felt like throwing up.

She felt a hand on her back and found Gold rubbing her back. She couldn't look into his golden eyes, remembering all the times they had glowed gold. She now knew that he had been trying to use his powers on her which made her feel more betrayed. Yet the comforting warmth of his wings confused her further since it was such a contrast to the Keeper of the book.

Why couldn't he be the cold reapers from her book so she could run from them easier? Gold didn't need his powers to know that she needed comfort but he didn't know how to tease a smile to her face.

"This is fate," Green said in his place. "The more you fight it, the more they will hurt you. Gold learned that the hard way but you don't have to. Just accept this and it'll all be easier for you. The faster you accept this, the faster we can go onto the next issue of your… gift. How did you come to have it? How did you get this book?"

"I don't know. How would I know?" Crystal turned her rage on Green. He took the book from his hand and wasn't surprised to see that it was the missing book of the Keepers. Gold had told him about the book in her possession, saying that they needed to keep her alive to see if there was a connection to the angel attacking them. "I bought it while traveling through France."

She answered him before he could ask. He stared at her disbelief, "That's impossible. No one can take this book out of the library except for a Keeper or an Elder."

"We'll get to that issue later," Blue took the book from him and stepped into the tension in an attempt to ease it. "We need to know how a Keeper's power is made so we can find a way to counter them. With any luck, we might also find who took this book from the library as well."

Green nodded and the rest of the Keepers looked over Blue's shoulder to read the chapter on the ritual used to transfer a Keeper's power into an angel. It seemed that the power was created by sacrificing a soul mixed with the Elder's blood and using any other soul would make the power faux which faded with time. "So that's why he needs to continue collecting souls."

Gold looked up from the group and his glowing gold eyes met with Crystals. He broke from the group and held her face between his hands to keep her still. "You and Emerald has the true power of a Keeper. When I look at the shadows the man created, I could see a soul trap inside but with you it's pure."

"So none of you can use your powers when I'm around?" She asked in a steady voice and pushed Gold's hand away from her. She looked from Lyra to the Keeper before standing. "As I see it, I can either be a great ally or your worst enemy. I'll help you on the condition that you leave me and my sister alone."

Green sighed and tilted a look to Gold, remembering his words when they first decided to let Lyra live. "You will both have to die eventually so asking for another day is impossible. You had Silver's pity before but now the situation changed and this is much more dangerous for humans like you. We need to focus on capturing that angel before we decide what to do with you two."

"Stop talking about us like that!" Crystal hated the deadpanned tone he used to address her sister. Lyra put a hand over hers but that didn't help her anger and turned from the group. She didn't know how to properly rationalize the situation she was thrust into. "I need some time alone."

When Lyra would've gone after her sister, Silver stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "This must be a shock for her so give her a moment for this to sink in. If you do go to her now, you might say things to each other that you'll regret. After some time passes I'll go with you to help you find her myself."

* * *

"It's almost night and we still haven't found her yet," Lyra let out a worried sigh as she and Silver walked through the streets to look for Crystal. "I should've never been selfish in the first place and then I wouldn't have caused my sister this pain. I wish there was something I could do to help you all."

"You're only human," Silver reminded her but that didn't give her any peace of mind. Silver realized that her steps were surprisingly slow so took her hand to pull her forward. The movement was a little too sudden and she found herself crashing onto his back. To stop her from staggering, he placed his wing behind her and pushed her back to her feet.

"I know my sister and I know that she's going to try to fight with those angels to protect me," Lyra sighed. She still wondered where Crystal gained her abilities and a part of her wished that she had some strength to fight against the angels.

Silver thought her troubled look came from fright so tried to comfort her. "From the first moment, I promised to protect you and I'll do so. You do not need to worry about anything happening to you or your sister. I don't know how but I'll make sure you have your three months with your sister."

"I trust you," her answer completely surprised him since he expected her to fear him after everything she saw him and the other Keepers do.

He could feel her warmth through their gloves and he knew that he could very well take that from her without a second thought. Yet that didn't cross her mind. On her mind was guilt though. If only she wasn't so weak, she could be the one protecting everyone else. Even at the zoo, she tried her hardest to fight the angel but it was her sister who saved her in the end.

"Come on Lyra," Silver pulled at her hand in an attempt to pull her from her worries. "We need to find your sister before anything happens to her."

Lyra nodded and once gain tried to call her sister. She had tried to reach Crystal for hours now as she and Silver run through the city looking for her but not one of her calls had been answered, going to voice mail instead. Lyra knew that her sister was mad but it wasn't like her not to answer her phone.

"Please call me when you get this Crystal," Lyra begged her phone before ending the call.

"She's going to be okay," Silver tried to reassure her as they entered the orphanage to see if Crystal was there. To her disappointment she wasn't there either and Lyra didn't know if she had the energy to continue searching since she was both physically and emotionally drained. Asking the kids questions didn't help either.

"Crystal's gone?" Emerald pulled at Lyra's skirt and she was hesitant in answering since she knew he saw Crystal as a mother figure. She didn't want to worry the child as the animals reacted to his mood easily. He didn't seem to need an answer though as he ran out of the orphanage to search for her.

Lyra and Silver followed after him but he was already gone and Lyra couldn't think of any other places her sister would run to. She had been gone far too long and Lyra couldn't help thinking of the angels after them. Though she knew they wouldn't attack her since they were only after the Keepers, she couldn't help herself from worrying. "She might have returned home."

Lyra ran off in that direction and Silver was quick to follow her. It was still heavy on his mind that there was a large possibility that he would be attacked soon since he was the only Keeper yet to be attacked and he was putting Lyra in danger by his mere presence. He didn't understand why he cared so much since his feelings clearly ran deeper than a promise.

He kept his hand around Lyra's even with those thoughts in his mind. He rationalized that he couldn't let go of her hand so suddenly and continued behind her. Quickening his steps when she turned back to him with a worried look, he tried to hide his worries from her.

* * *

"The book says that there's a way we can take back a person's power like the Elders does when transferring a Keeper's power." Green said from where he sat on the edge of the river studying the book. "We can use this to our advantage. All we have to do is identify the soul they used to create the power and take it back."

"And whoever gave her the book probably gave her the power as well," Blue thought out loud and took the book from Green. Her eyes glowed blue as she looked back into the past of the book. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened it, she was standing in the library watching time pass for the book.

_The air around the library suddenly became thick yet there was warmth she hadn't felt for so long. A butterfly drifted onto the book, knocking it from its place on the shelf. Almost transparent hand reached up to catch it but the book merely passed through her hand. The book sparked where they touched her and the woman bit her lower lip._

_After the butterfly took the book for her, the woman turned and Blue could look at the woman's face though it flickered slightly. Her lips moved without a word. It seemed like she knew Blue was watching as she tried to speak to her._

"Blue!" Green called and she woke from her vision to find herself on Green's lap. He looked down at her with a worried expression as he brushed her bangs away. Red was next to them as well and fanning her face with a soft breeze. He let out a sigh of relief, "You've never been in a vision that long before and we were getting worried."

His jade eyes made her heart quickened a little and couldn't help acknowledge the familiar feeling of being so close to him. She didn't want to show how he affected her since Red was next to them and he had spoken to her about her feelings for Green. She still didn't know what to feel about him and doubted she wanted to look into the answer.

"I had centuries to go through," She reached up to rub her temple but Green was quicker. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to Red. "I thought I saw her take the book… I thought I saw Yellow. I know it's her and she had that butterfly you told us about."

"I know she's trying to help us. This book must be a message of some kind from her!" Red held on desperately to the hope that he could save her, that he didn't fail her completely. He would keep his promise to keep her safe and happy. "All we have to do is find her again and the best way to do that is to defeat those angels."

"We'll save her," Blue smiled at Red and sat up. "And I know how to find those angels! Their power is fading so they need to continually find more souls to use so they're bound to come back here. And when they do, we'll be waiting when they come! Even if he took some of our power, we should be able to defeat him if we fight as one like we used to."

"There is something I've been thinking about," Green interrupted their cheering and Blue made a face at him. "They said they had the rest of Yellow's soul so they only needed Silver to make their leader a full Keeper. If that is true, how is Yellow able to be giving us these 'messages'? This wouldn't be the first time they used her to trick us."

"This is different, I can feel it." Red said but there was still doubt laced in his voice. Green nodded and turned back to scan their surroundings before going on to discuss their next course of action. He had to trust his friend's instincts and he hated to admit it but he also held hope that Yellow was still alive. Looking back to Red and Blue, he knew that he held that hope because he wanted to see them happy.

* * *

Gold played his flute on the roof once again and his song lulled Crystal to a daze. He had found her on the roof hours before and didn't want to disturb her so just played his flute, calling the souls to him. After she had fallen asleep some time before and he placed his sweater over her so the night chill wouldn't reach her.

Her phone rang again and he turned it off since he knew that she must be emotionally exhausted and wanted her to sleep. He couldn't sense any more weak souls that he could charm and stopped playing, closing the box at his feet. With his duty done, he knelt next to Crystal to take her back into the house for a proper sleep.

He brushed his fingers over her cheeks and sighed, sitting beside her sleeping form. Staring down at her, he couldn't help but study her. She looked so small and vulnerable with his sweater over her, it was hard for him to remember that she was someone he would eventually have to kill. Why did he always pity the humans he was meant to kill? "I'm a helpless fool, aren't I?"

"I won't disagree to that," Crystal said softly next to him and he wasn't entirely surprised. She didn't sit up though and just stared at the night sky once lit by the wondering souls of the parted. "Why didn't you force me back to the other Keepers once you found me?"

"Neither of us needs that and I wanted to speak with you myself," Gold shrugged. "Who wants to hear that we should just accept death after hearing someone close to them is going to die? We faced death over and over so we're not very tactful when dealing with the subject. I know this must feel like a strange dream to you."

"How would you know how useless I feel? My god, this still doesn't feel real," Crystal felt the ground drop beneath her as she said that. The wind rushed around her as Gold lifted her into his arms and flew into the sky, wrapping his wings around her every so often so she could feel their feathers against her cheeks. Flying had always calm him and knew that it made the whole situation more real for her.

"This is real," He didn't look down at her when he said that. "I know how you want to save your sister but there's nothing you can do when fate had already promised her death. But as Green said, the more you fight fate, the more you're going to be hurt. Like I was with Arthur…"

"Is he the reason you don't like kids?" Crystal asked him and he contemplated telling her. In the end he thought it would be best for her to understand his view on fate.

"It was when I first became a Keeper." He started, staring back into the past. "I thought I was more powerful than everyone because of my power. I did my duty, playing with people's soul as I did so just because I could. I think fate wanted me to meet him so I could be put me in my place."

Crystal didn't say a word knowing that he was saying this partly for himself. She wondered if he even told anyone this story. "Arthur was always a sickly child but he fought my song from the first moment I visited him. He was a funny kid and reminded me a lot of myself at the time so I took pity on him. I told him that he wouldn't have to die because I was going to save him.

"I would visit him in the hospital whenever I could, tricking the Keepers and Elders into delaying his death. We played cards to pass the time and it was nice not to be a Keeper for a few hours. He was so strong, I was sure that he would be able to play fate the fool with me. Then the time for his surgery came, the moment that the Elders and I battled.

"I was called for a meeting but tried to escape them so I could be there to protect his soul during the surgery. I fought them with everything I could but by the time I reached the hospital, Arthur's soul was already gone… I failed him and lost to fate."

"You did everything you could," She found herself trying to comfort the equivalent of a reaper. She didn't see the wings around her, only the pain in his eyes.

"Fate didn't want to stop tormenting me though," Gold laughed bitterly as he placed his forehead on hers. "I found his soul a few days later completely by chance when I was playing my flute. I wanted to apologize to him even if he was nothing more than a soul incapable to speech. But I could feel his hatred towards me and I can't blame him."

"He couldn't hate you since you two were friends and you did everything to help him." Crystal argued.

"You'll be surprised what people will say in the face of death. He pretended to be my friend because he wanted to live and believed I could save him from fate. Now I know better and I want you to give up before you're hurt like I was."

Crystal was quiet for a moment before she answered, "I'll never give up."

Gold didn't respond, only holding her closer to him. A part of him admired her but the other thought her a fool for standing against fate. But if that was her decision, as he knew Silver would eventually come to that decision as well, he would stand next to them.

* * *

**Mangaquestshipping is a big bias for me and I think I planned more for them than the main shipping XD SoulSilvershipping just fit the theme of the story more than Mangaquest would so I couldn't make them the main ship.**

**PS. I can't answer anonymous reviews here so if you have any questions, just go on my tum(blr) and ask there.**


	10. Love in Pictures

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters**

* * *

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Lyra cheered when she returned home and found Crystal sitting on the porch with Gold, drinking some tea. Crystal spotted Lyra and rushed to her, worried about her since she had been waiting for her to return for hours now. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier but I just didn't know how."

"I understand," Crystal said softly though it wasn't entirely true since she was still hurt by the lies. But no matter the strange situation she was thrown into, she was going to protect her sister as she had always done. "But no more lies. Gold already told me everything."

Gold didn't bring up the issue of Crystal's own death during their conversation, only telling her about the angels attack. He noticed that Emerald was with Silver and Lyra and he ran to Crystal, hugging her. She looked back to Gold but he only smiled weakly at her, remembering how he told her about Arthur.

"Let's go inside," Crystal brushed birds from Emerald's head and rushed the group inside, cautious of the aspect of angels attacking them. Lyra felt guilty that she caused the worry in her sister's eyes so didn't argue as she pulled Silver in as well.

"I don't want you to leave this house and I don't want Silver in this house either." Crystal addressed the two and forced Lyra to sit on the couch. "They have no reason to go after Lyra and the only thing putting her in danger is you. Gold can stay with us if you're really worried about her escaping. If three months is all she has, then I don't want you taking any more time from us by putting her in danger."

Silver started to argue and Crystal cut him off. "I don't like to threaten people but if you don't leave this house right now, I'll find a way to tell the Elders about you breaking the law!"

Both Gold and Silver froze at that. Even though she read the book, Gold doubted she knew the full extent of her threat. Telling the Elders would also put her in danger and their punishment proved to be a fate worse than death. Silver clenched his teeth at that, torn between his promise to Lyra and knowing that he was only putting her in further danger. Why was the safety of a mere corpse so important to him?

He was taken back when Lyra took his hand and placed an envelope inside it. She was silent for a moment before speaking, "Maybe you should leave… Crystal will be in danger as well if you stay and I don't want my family to be involved. She's right though, they don't have any reason to attack Crystal or myself beside you."

Silver nodded and stood but stopped when Lyra didn't let go of his hand and looked up at him, "Thank you for everything that you did for me. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't saved me."

Lyra's words were partly pointed to Crystal so she would understand that Silver wasn't entirely bad. Silver nodded and spoke some words to Gold before spreading his wings to fly out the window. Lyra stared after him for a moment before turning away. As she did so, she spotted a black feather on the floor and picked it up though she didn't know what compelled her to do so.

Gold watched her through Keeper's eyes and noticed that her soul had become weaker by the slightest amount as Silver left. What confused him the most was the moment her soul sparked amber for the briefest of moment before it returned to its white colour. The change was so fast that he thought that it was only a trick of the eye so dismissed it.

"Don't worry Lyra," Crystal told her with a forced smile that Lyra easily saw through. "Even if those angels come after us I'll protect you. Just stay here until this is all over then we can figure out what to do about the Keepers."

Her last words were a whisper but Gold still heard her, but chose not to say a word. He had opened himself up to her last night but it didn't seem like she understood that she couldn't change fate. He still didn't understand why humans held hope and fought with such disillusions. What could any of them do about death? If they escape it once, fate would come back for them with a vengeance.

Lyra could see Gold's brows drew together but she couldn't force herself to laugh to lighten the mood. She didn't want her last three months with her sister to be trapped inside the house. And it felt like something was missing from the room. Her eyes drifted to the feather on its own accord and she tried to think of a way to reverse time to before the zoo.

* * *

"Why do you look so down?" Silver didn't jump at the sound of his sister's voice since he had become accustomed to her habits over their centuries together. He had returned to the river of souls after he left, partly to help guard it with the other Keepers and partly for the quiet. Though he was so distracted that Blue doubted he would notice if anyone snuck up on him.

Silver didn't say a word in response to her question, holding out a picture to her instead. Taking it, she smiled when she saw it was a photo of him wearing Lyra's hat. There were other photos laid out carefully beside him. Deciding to tease him, she chose her words carefully. "So where is our special corpse?"

"Lyra," he corrected her softly as Blue thought he would. He stared at a photo of Lyra and himself in his hands. "And she's safe. I wondered why she wanted two copies made of each picture but I should've realized she wanted to give me some. I think she said she wanted to give you a photo at one point."

"Then I want this one," She took the picture he was holding and Silver unconscious hesitated for a moment. She noticed his reaction even as he didn't. She placed it back among the other photos before taking the one of Silver from earlier. "You look happiest in that one but I think this one is more adorable."

"You gave her the most ugly hat I've ever seen. Made her look like Mario, who I've learned is an Italian plumber. Humans create the strangest characters, don't they?" Silver said on a repressed laugh, remembering Lyra's words when she first put it on. He looked back into the river of souls and could see his sister's smile reflecting back at him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"You don't notice, do you?" Blue laughed and hugged her brother, teasing him.

"What is there to notice?" Silver lifted a brow at her and she laughed all the harder. His brother had been a Keeper for so long he probably didn't understand his feelings anymore. She noticed him tilt his face back to the sky, "Is it alright for you to be here with them watching?"

Blue knew that he was referring to the Elders and she looked back to where Green was watching them among the trees, his glowing eyes giving him away. She bit her lower lip since she thought that she had snuck away from him hours ago. Turning back to her brother, she said honestly. "I don't know but at some point I stopped caring. I'll deal with them so you should just concentrate on yourself."

"I don't want you to always be protecting me." Silver sighed, hating how useless he was without the other half of his power. He had so much destructive power within him but without the other half, he could do nothing to control it. "They're after me and that will only put you in danger."

"You would do the same for me," Blue pointed out. "I love you and in the end that's all the motivation I need to stay, to protect you. They always say that Keepers needs to forget all of the things that made them human, like sympathy and love, but in the end that was what made me stronger."

Silver couldn't argue with that but continue to look down at the river, the different colour souls reminding him of Lyra's bright smile though he didn't know why. Her hair and eyes were a rich brown so the blue and green of the river shouldn't bear resemblance to them. He dipped his hand into the river and Blue smiled softly with troubled eyes. "We're all stronger when we have purpose to our action."

"I need to go check on something," Silver stood and didn't look back to his sister knowing that she would be able to read the emotions in his eyes. He couldn't name the emotions he was feeling and he didn't want Blue to point them out since it would make them all the more real.

He knew that he couldn't put the people he cared for in any further danger and being with him was doing just that. He wasn't as reckless as Gold and knew that he couldn't possible fight against the angel but didn't know what to do beside run. He gathered the photographs and placed them back into the envelope before handing them to Blue. "Take care of them for me. And please don't follow me."

"I trust you," She told him even as he flew away. She let out a breath and touched the silver ring on her bracelet but the many possible futures faded into each other, she couldn't predict what would happen next. The only common thread was the sound of crying that echoed in the background. Why do her visions always fail her when there was still so much undecided?

"I didn't think you for one to tell your brother half-truths." She turned back to see Green address her, leaning against a tree as he tried to regain his strength. He was able to find her easily, knowing that she would go to her brother. She didn't say a word to him, already knowing what he was referring to. "Those feelings make us strong but it also makes us vulnerable."

"I can only trust that they are stronger than I was when it comes to love," Blue turned on her heel and walked past him. Green wanted so desperately to reach out to her, to say that she was stronger than the past but he didn't because he didn't know if he was strong enough to deserve her.

But he did call out to her retreating form. "I promise that this time will be different than the last."

"Not a single Keeper in history has been able to keep a promise against fate," she reminded him.

* * *

Lyra opened her bedroom window, surprised that her sister hadn't nailed it shut because she had become so overbearing after discovering her impending doom. She couldn't blame her sister but she couldn't help but feel smothered at the same time. She wanted a day with her sister but instead it seemed she was going to have three months of solitude.

She looked to the calendar hanging on her wall and marked off another day. Three weeks had passed since she first met him but only a day since he left her. Was that enough time to make a connection with him such that she missed him this much? In reality, she knew that she only had two months and some days left before her deal with the Keepers expired.

She didn't want to spend the rest of the time trapped inside the house but she didn't know how to convince her sister to give her some freedom. She knew that going out on her own to prove a point was reckless so that wasn't an option.

"You know this is for your own good until those angels are dealt with and after that I'll find a way to outsmart those Keepers," Lyra turned to see Crystal standing at the door with a tray of food.

"I know you're thinking of me." Lyra closed the window and faced her sister. She held her breath, trying to think of the words to say to her sister to make her understand everything in her heart. "This isn't what I wanted…"

Crystal had always been the logical one out of the two but she still didn't understand why Lyra didn't want to live. Lyra couldn't have given up already since that wasn't in her character. She listened to her sister though, trying to add reason to her wants. "I've known I was going to die for a long time now…"

"And I'm going to change that!" Crystal said, determined to create her own fate for her sister. She didn't know what she would do after she saved her sister and a part of her knew that she was foolish. Death was always present but she never really thought about it until now.

"You can't!" Lyra argued and wiped at the tears gathering in her eyes. "I know that and so do you. This is why I didn't want to tell you since I knew you would try to protect me from this. My dying wish was to spend a happy day with my sister and say goodbye without any regrets! Silver wanted to honour that."

"I'm sorry but I can't just accept this." Crystal crossed her arms and they both sighed at the same time.

"Crys." Gold had been leaning against the doorframe, listening to the two sisters but called out to them when he saw the argument become heated. Crystal didn't know how long he had been watching them but he looked at them with concern before his usual crooked grin appeared. "Let her live before she dies."

He gently took Crystal's clenched hand and nodded to Lyra. "I know a great restaurant we can go to. Emerald is waiting downstairs and he had been complaining about being hungry. Plus, you should tell the kid he can't pee inside the flower pot. I caught him doing so just a minute ago!"

Lyra laughed slightly at that. Crystal noticed the small sound and nodded to Gold's suggestion. She hated that the words 'dying wish' echoed through her mind but she couldn't take her words back at Lyra's sudden smile. Gold merely rubbed his nose when Lyra thanked him, "Anything for a friend. Now get change into something fancy the two of you!"

Crystal didn't want to go unprepared though so left the room and came back with a box. She pressed it into Lyra's hand, "Take this just in case anything happens."

* * *

"You can't possibly afford this," Crystal whispered harshly to Gold who sat across from her. Sitting between them was Emerald who pulled at Gold's sleeve to gain his attention. Gold patted the boy on the head and laughed with him over their private joke. When Crystal repeated her concern, Gold merely handed their waiter the menus after they ordered and waved away her concerns.

"Who said anything about paying?" His eyes glowed and she knew their meaning so kicked him beneath the table. "What was that for Crys? I was only teasing you. The owner is a friend of mine and lets me eat here for free after I saved the place this from being robbed."

"You're an everyday Robin Hood," Crystal rolled her eyes sarcastically. It was strange watching Gold and Emerald together now that she knew the reason for Gold's weariness of children. She looked back to her sister but she was staring about the window, not really focusing on anything. Even after their waiter had brought their food, Lyra did nothing but pick at it. "You should eat that before it gets cold, Lyra."

Lyra nodded but Crystal doubted that she even heard her. She had never seen her sister so solemn, which she had been ever since Silver left, and worried about her sudden change in behaviour. Lyra didn't notice her concerns though as she stared at a faraway scene unfolding at the empty table beside them.

"Is something wrong Lyra?" Emerald looked up at her concerned and she shook herself, forcing a smile so the little boy wouldn't worry about her. She ate her dinner a little quicker than she would usually in an attempt to hide her nervousness from the others.

The tension in her body was becoming too much and pushed herself away from the table. "I'm going to go home early. The deadline for an article is coming up soon and I really should be working on it."

"Cover your ears Emerald," Gold ordered the little boy at the same time Crystal began to argue. He whispered to Crystal and Lyra once Emerald did. "Those angels aren't after you two so there's no reason for you to be so worried. I'm sure they're not even concerning themselves with you two."

Crystal could see that the trip to the restaurant wasn't helping Lyra and maybe she needed some time alone without her looking over her shoulder. Even though she hated to, Crystal nodded.

Lyra thanked her sister with a waned smile before leaving. With strong hands, Gold took Emerald's hand away from his ears with more gentleness than Crystal thought capable of a Keeper. Gold watched Crystal's eyes follow her sister and placed a hand over hers to reassure her. "She's going to be safe. Just sit here and enjoy the evening with me."

* * *

Lyra walked back with a destination in mind but the path she took didn't take her there, mainly because the path crossed with fate. Standing at a familiar crossroads, she waited for the light to change so she could cross the road but her eyes met with someone across the street. "Silver?"

"I went to ask Gold something but you weren't home." he said once she crossed the street to him and her heart suddenly felt lighter. He raised a brow at her dress and she explained how Gold had brought her to a restaurant and Silver mumbled a curse towards the man's recklessness. "I'll walk you home. Why that man isn't doing so is beyond me."

"He has a good heart," She defended though Silver already knew that. She walked beside him, asking him about the photos she had given him and he thanked her for them softly. That seemed to be answer enough since her smile softened her face and he looked over her once again. She still wore the hat even though it didn't match her dress and when he asked her, she laughed.

"I don't usually care what I wear and I guess the hat really grown on me. I put it on without even realizing it." Silver didn't know why her answer made him smile.

Lyra tilted her head back to the night sky and let out a relieved breath. Silver watched her as they walked down the street. They talked about nothing of importance, purposely avoiding the subject of the angels since they could read the stress in each other's eyes.

It was always on the back of Silver's mind that she was in danger now that she standing next to him. But he wanted to see her safely home first. The motivation to his action was completely lost to him but he couldn't help remember his sister's words. Could the confusing feelings he was experience that of a human? Were they induced because he was spending so much time with a human?

"They look like they're having fun," Lyra commented as they passed the park where a group of kids were playing with sparklers. Silver barely gave them a second glance, pulling Lyra after him as he reminded her that she needed to return home safely.

The sparklers suddenly went out and Silver bit his tongue at the sight of shadows slowly creeping over the sparklers towards the children. With one arm, he pulled Lyra into his chest to protect her as he used his teethes to pull off his glove, releasing his powers. Lyra didn't fully understand what was happening when she felt wind rush around her but she knew that it was caused by Silver's power.

Silver tucked Lyra's head under his chin so she wouldn't be hurt by his power as he absorbed the shadows creeping towards the children. He saw the souls of the children wane because of his power and quickly thrust his hand into his pocket to repress his powers again. They stared at him in confusion, unable to see the shadows.

"Run!" The urgency and threat in his voice reached the children as they quickly ran from the scene. Even before he saw that they followed his order, he pushed Lyra behind him and yelled for her to run. He could sense her confusion behind him but what hurt him was her flinch when he turned his glowing eyes on her. "The angels are here so you need to run!"

"Worrying about a corpse isn't like a Keeper." Even at those words, Silver spread his wings to block her from the angel's view. In his mind, he was desperately willing her to run. He pulled off his other gloves, throwing them away at random before rushing at the angel.

Lyra mind rushed, trying to think of a way to help him as she picked up his gloves. She had never run in the past and she couldn't do so when Silver was fighting to protect her. She took out the gun her sister had given her earlier but didn't know how effective it would be against an angel. But at the moment she didn't have any other weapon to use.

"Just run Lyra!" Silver ordered her even as ice erupted around him. He already knew that she wouldn't but couldn't help but hope that she would for her own safety. He didn't only need to protect her from the angel but himself as well since he didn't have full control of his power. He promised to protect her for the next few months and he would do just that.

"Stupid woman, why are you trying to protect a Keeper when they don't care for anything but themselves?" He suddenly appeared before her in the span of a heartbeat and she didn't hesitate for a moment to pull the trigger, the bullet hitting him in his abdomen. Snarling at her, he hit her across her face with such a force that she was sent into the swings.

Silver swore, wanting to run after her and cushion the impact but knew that if he touched her now, he would steal her soul. He placed himself between them though and tried to punch the man but he easily evaded him. The angel's eyes glowed like heated copper and Silver knew that he was trying to use Gold's power so closed his eyes.

"Lead me Lyra!" He begged her knowing that if he opened his eyes, he would be under the angel's control. He could cancel out most of the other Keepers' power by absorbing them but that wasn't the case with Gold's power. "Be my eyes."

"He's summoning fire to your right!" Lyra told him and he didn't hesitate as he stole the souls to his right. He could sense other souls surround him and Lyra pointed each one out so he was able to defend himself. "There's ice covering the ground so be careful."

"Stay out of this Corpse!" The angel ordered and she cried out in pain at the vines at attacked her. He stood above her but she refused to show any fear. "Why are you fighting with those villains? If you knew what was good for you, you would've killed him long before now."

"You're the one hurting people when all you want is power!" Lyra argued but that only made him angrier as he raised shadow blades to attack her.

"I want that power so I can defeat the Elders," He told her. "I will defeat them and the Keepers so there will be no more death in your world or mine. Can you not see that I am not the villain for wanting such a thing? But I can only defeat them if I had the power of all of the Keepers. Now will you help me?"

"Stay away from her!" Silver realized that all of the souls had gather around Lyra and turned to see the man standing above Lyra with blades of shadows raised to attack her. The angel turned his glowing eyes on him and Silver realized that it was too late. His body stiffened and knew that it was because of Gold's powers.

"I will never understand you Keepers." Hatred filled the angel's eyes as he summoned a powerful wind to knock Silver back against a tree. A sadistic smile masked any humanity he had as he summoned more shadows to attack him. "You had all this power but you never once tried to fight the Elders when we were being killed one after another during the Trials!"

"Stop it!" Lyra tried to run to Silver to help her but found that she was slowly sinking into the ground.

"I see her when I look at you." The man went on, addressing Silver. "I was sure that I could defeat her during the Trials and become a Keeper so I can defeat them but I underestimated her. I was lucky to have survived but I knew that I had to come back and take what should've been mine: the power of a Keeper."

"You're just as bad as the Elders!" Lyra tried to draw the angel's attention onto her so that Silver might have a better chance of escaping. "You stole all of those souls from those people at the museum and the zoo! You're just another hypocrite trying to justify your greed for power."

"Corpses should stay silent!" He didn't turn to her even as he summoned lightning to attack her. Silver wanted so desperately to broke free of the angel's control, to run to her but he couldn't. He could only endure the pain the angel inflicted on him. "I have only been taking souls from the river so I don't know why you're suggesting otherwise. I am tired of this. Give me your soul Silver."

Silver felt his body moving without his consent and he clawed at his shoulder until an amber light shined through where he scratched. Power erupted through his body and Silver knew that releasing it would very well kill him but there was nothing he could do to fight the angel's control. Biting his lips against the pain, Silver tried to think of a way to save Lyra.

"Stop!" Lyra screamed and broke free of the ground swallowing her. She couldn't stand to see the blood and golden flames trickling out of Silver's wound. Their time together raced through her mind and she knew that she didn't want to lose him. Even with everything the angel told her, she still believed Silver to be kind and the thought of him losing his soul scared her beyond words.

Her mind went blank as rushed forward and attacked the angel with more strength than she knew she had. She punched the angel, stunning him and Silver felt the ability to control his body return. With what little strength he had left, Silver tried to take the angel's soul but ice blocked his attack. When the ice melted, the angel was gone, fleeing since he knew that Silver was losing control of his powers.

Lyra fell to her knees exhausted and looked to where Silver was still sitting against the tree. The surrounding area around him began to decay even as Silver tried to contain his power. She saw this and tried to run to him but he quickly yelled to stopped her.

"Stop or I'm going to kill you!" He screamed. "My body is trying to heal itself using the lifeforce around us. If you come any closer to me, I'll steal your soul as well so don't cross that line."

Seeing Silver in pain, she only wanted to run to him but knew that she couldn't. Silver drew a line between them using his power, clearly shown by the decaying grass. He was pushing her away and his action triggered something in her as she felt tears trail down her cheeks. "I love you Silver…"

Silver's head came up sharply at her declaration and didn't know what to say for a moment. He didn't know why his heart was beating so fast but forced himself to think of all the Keepers that loved and lost. He told himself that he was a Keeper, unable to love and that he couldn't be feeling what humans thought was love.

"You don't love me," his voice was harsh from the pain he was feeling. "You can't possibly love me! You're only saying this because of our situation. Like the suspension bridge effect where a person will confuse their fear as love for someone trying to protect them. We don't love each other and can't."

His complete rejection stabbed at her heart even though she didn't know what brought her to say those words. Her hand tightened over the dirt beneath her in attempt to stop the emotions rocking her body. Even if he spoke the truth, she couldn't deny her confusing emotions when she thought she would lose him.

Hugging herself, she could do nothing in reaction to his rejection but turn her face from his. If his words were true and she didn't love him, why did it hurt so much?

* * *

**Man this chapter is long XD you should see the original since I had to cut so much so that this doesn't get too long. Had to cut out a mangaquestshipping scene and a Red scene because they made this chapter over 8K long.**


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